Suzanne M. Rivera

Suzanne M. Rivera became Macalester College’s seventeenth president in 2020. Having worked in higher education for more than twenty-five years, Rivera is an accomplished leader, instructor, researcher, and scholar. She is an advocate for social justice and brings a strong commitment to inclusion and equity to her role as president.

Prior to her appointment at Macalester, Rivera was the vice president for research and technology management at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. She also served on the faculty in the Departments of Bioethics and Pediatrics, leading original research projects funded by the National Institutes of Health, the federal Office of Research Integrity, and the Cleveland Foundation.

A national expert in research ethics, Rivera frequently is invited to speak about a variety of topics related to biomedical research and science policy. She has published numerous articles, essays, and book chapters that explore the moral dimensions of informed consent, use of human specimens, and protection of research subject privacy.

Rivera earned her BA in American civilization from Brown University, a Master of Social Welfare degree from the University of California–Berkeley, and a doctorate in public affairs with an emphasis on health policy from the University of Texas at Dallas.