R. May Lee

R. May Lee became the third President of Olin College of Engineering on August 18, 2025, following her appointment by the Olin Board of Trustees.

Lee is a visionary leader whose career spans global higher education, corporate leadership and entrepreneurship. With experience ranging from Wall Street to the nonprofit sector, and deep expertise in strategy, innovation and education, Lee brings a unique breadth of experience and insight to Olin.

At the heart of Lee’s vision is the belief that Olin’s future is something we create together. Her inauguration, themed “Co-Authoring the Living Blueprint,” reflects her conviction that a collaborative approach ensures an ambitious future grounded in the college’s distinctive culture of innovation and possibility

Lee came to Olin from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), the first and oldest technological research university in the United States, where she was the Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer for Institutional Impact. There, she played a pivotal role in defining and shaping RPI’s priorities through the development and implementation of its long-term strategic plan, RPI Forward. She was also a professor of entrepreneurship at RPI’s School of Architecture.

Prior to RPI, Lee held leadership roles in two pioneering institutions of higher education. At ShanghaiTech University, Lee was the founding Dean of the School of Entrepreneurship and Management, where she established the first interdisciplinary curriculum for science and engineering students, integrating social sciences, entrepreneurship and critical thinking. As Vice Chancellor at New York University, she spearheaded the development of NYU Shanghai, NYU’s degree-granting campus in China. NYU Shanghai is the third degreegranting campus at NYU and the first Sino-US joint venture university to receive independent legal accreditation from China’s Ministry of Education.

Lee’s career includes senior executive positions on Wall Street at Merrill Lynch and Goldman Sachs; experience as an entrepreneur in the technology and digital marketing sectors; and leadership positions in nonprofit organizations.

Lee is a member of the Advisory Board for the University of Hong Kong School of Computing and Data Science, Vice-Chair of the Board at the Van Alen Institute, a member of Volkswagen’s Global Sustainability Council and a Life Trustee with NYU School of Law.

Lee earned a J.D. from New York University School of Law and a B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania.