President, Middlebury College
About
Laurie L. Patton is the 17th president of Middlebury and the first woman to lead the institution in its 218-year history. Dr. Patton is a leading authority on South Asian history and culture, and the author or editor of eleven books in these fields. She has also translated the ancient Hindu text, The Bhagavad Gita, for Penguin Classics Series, and is the author of three books of poetry—the most recent book, House Crossing, was published in May 2018.
Dr. Patton began her career at Bard College, where she was an assistant professor of Asian religions. Dr. Patton served on the faculty and administration at Emory University and as the Durden Professor of Religion and Duke University’s Dean of Arts and Sciences until 2015. Dr. Patton served as president of the American Society for the Study of Religion and is currently president of the American Academy of Religion. Dr. Patton was elected to be a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences in 2018, as a leader in two fields religion/philosophy and education.
