Mr. Brien Lewis, President of Transylvania University Joins Board

Bluegrass Region Statement

“I arrived in the Bluegrass at the outset of the pandemic and, even at a time when people could not connect and interact as they normally would, the warmth and encouragement of the people and the place could not be diminished. The feeling I get overwhelmingly is of enthusiasm for embracing the opportunities before us.”

Biography – President Brien Lewis

Brien Lewis began serving as the 28th president of Transylvania University on July 1, 2020.

He previously served as president of Catawba College, a private, liberal arts college in Salisbury, North Carolina for 8 years.

A native of Toronto, Canada, Lewis holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he was a Morehead Scholar and Student Body President. He earned a Juris Doctor from the University of Toronto. 

Lewis worked as an attorney and mediator in North Carolina before moving into higher education at Winthrop University in South Carolina, where he was an Associate Professor of Business Administration, the founding Dean of University College, and Vice President for University Development and Alumni Relations.

Since arriving in Lexington, Lewis has joined the boards of Bluegrass Tomorrow, Commerce Lexington and the Downtown Lexington Partnership. Throughout his career, he has also acted in a number of student and community theater productions and looks forward to finding opportunities to continue doing so.