Since 2008, Marianne Schimelfenig has served as General Counsel & Corporate Secretary for Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Before coming to Philadelphia in 2008, Marianne served for 10 years as the first General Counsel for Saint Mary’s College of California. Prior to her position at Saint Mary’s, she was a trial lawyer for the Office of General Counsel for the Regents of the University of California system and earlier in her legal career, she was a partner in the trial department of the Portland, Oregon law firm of Spears, Lubersky (now Lane Powell).
Marianne earned her bachelor’s degree in history from Marywood University in Scranton, Pennsylvania, a master’s in American history from the University of Scranton, and her J.D. from Lewis & Clark Northwestern School of Law in Portland, Oregon. Prior to becoming a lawyer, Marianne taught high school in New York and Pennsylvania, worked as a legislative assistant on Capitol Hill, served as a regulatory specialist for the Clorox Company in Oakland, California and, while in law school, worked as law clerk in the Portland District Attorney’s Office and in the legal department of Georgia Pacific Corporation in Portland and Atlanta.
She has been actively involved in NACUA for over 20 years, most recently serving in 2010-2011 as Chair of the NACUA Board of Directors. Among other NACUA volunteer positions, she has served as Chair of the Committee on Nominations & Elections, the Committee on Honors & Awards and has been a featured speaker at NACUA, AGB, NACUBO, ACCU and other higher education related conferences and gatherings. She is a member of the University of Pennsylvania Inn of Court and the Forum of Executive Women, in connection with which she serves on the Forum’s Membership and Women in Executive Leadership and Governance Committees In addition to her tireless efforts on behalf of higher education and of NACUA, as noted above, Marianne has served as a mentor to many within the association and always makes new colleagues and members feel welcome into our community. Her modeling of NACUA’s core values is ever-present.
NACUA is pleased to recognize Marianne Schimelfenig as a recipient of the Distinguished Service Award for her outstanding and exemplary service to the Association.