Suzanne Mellon
Senior Consultant and Senior Executive Coach
Suzanne K. Mellon is President Emerita of Carlow University, a masters comprehensive private university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where she served as President and professor from 2013-2021. She has had a distinguished career in higher education administration for the past 23 years, including executive vice president (COO) at Saint Anselm College (NH), and Dean of the College of Health Professions and McAuley School of Nursing at the University of Detroit Mercy (MI). Dr. Mellon recently joined Academic Search in 2021 as Senior Search Consultant and is transitioning to a Senior Executive Coach.
Dr. Mellon has held leadership positions and served on regional, state, and national organizations in higher education and health care. This includes vice chair of the Association of Independent Colleges and Universities of Pennsylvania, board of directors of the Council of Independent Colleges, past chair of the Pittsburgh Council on Higher Education Presidents’ Council, the Pennsylvania Economy League, the Conference for Mercy Higher Education Presidents Council, and the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. She is currently a member of the Pittsburgh Branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland, the NPR WESA Board of Pittsburgh, and the Trinity Health Michigan Board of Directors. She has served as consultant-evaluator for the Middle State Commission on Higher Education or the New England Association of Schools and Colleges and professional nursing or state accreditation during her higher education experience.
Dr. Mellon earned her PhD in philosophy from Wayne State University, a MS from Ohio State University, and a BSN from the University of Michigan. She also holds a certification from the Harvard Graduate School of Education’s Institute for Management and Leadership in Education. She has conducted interdisciplinary health research and taught at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. Throughout her entire academic career, Dr. Mellon has mentored new administrators to academia and as they transitioned into new roles of responsibilities. She brings extensive experience in university governance, particularly in private and Catholic institutions, and knowledge of the changing landscape in higher education, change management and health-related professions.
