Lauri Kempson

Chief Operating Officer & Senior Vice President of Finance

Ms. Kempson has been with ACTA for over 24 years. As Chief Operating Officer/Senior Vice President of Finance, she works with the Chief Executive Officer/President and Board of Directors to develop financial, operational, and workplace strategies that promote ACTA’s growth and vision. She oversees ACTA’s financial policies and procedures, human resources and IT, providing leadership and direction to the accounting, HR, and database/IT operations teams. She is also responsible for the visual identity of the company, designing and supervising the production of ACTA’s publications and other external facing materials to convey the values and ambitions of the organization. She produces ACTA’s annual event, the ATHENA Roundtable, which consists of a day-long conference on higher education and an evening gala and presentation of the Merrill Award for Outstanding Contributions to Liberal Arts Education.

Prior to joining ACTA, Ms. Kempson owned a desktop publishing company in Los Angeles. She has also been involved in K-12 school governance, serving on the governing boards of Ivanhoe Elementary School and All Children Great and Small in Los Angeles, as well as the Learning and Assessment Committee for a Northern Virginia high school. She has worked with local government and community organizations on issues of neighborhood safety and outreach. She has edited and written technical manuals for Merrill Lynch in New York City, and performed on stage and film in New York, Los Angeles, and London. She earned a B.F.A. in Theatre with a concentration in English from Stephens College.