Before stepping into the permanent role, Dr. Dillon, an alumna, board member, and higher ed leader, led Whittier after being named interim president on June 14, 2023. As interim president, she invested in staffing and resources to increase enrollment, recruited new leadership in development, and launched the Whittier Now! initiative to convert alumni and friends’ enthusiasm into financial support.
Dr. Dillon served on the Whittier Board from 1994 to 2012 and chaired its Enrollment and Student Life Committee from 2002 to 2012. Whittier honored her with a Service to the College Award in 2015, and she returned to the board in the spring of 2023.
Dr. Dillon majored in English and graduated from Whittier in 1973. Her first job after graduation was supporting retention and new student orientation at Whittier. Dr. Dillon then continued her studies at Claremont Graduate School, earning a master’s in education in 1977 and a Ph.D. in the economics of higher education in 1980.
Following her academic preparation, Dr. Dillon amassed decades of experience supporting student success while holding senior leadership positions in higher education. Since 2019, she has served as a senior advisor for Huron Consulting’s higher education practice. From 2002 to 2018, Dr. Dillon was president of the Consortium on Financing Higher Education (COFHE), a group of 35 selective colleges and universities that conducts research and policy analysis about admissions, financial aid and undergraduate education at residential liberal arts institutions.
Previously, she was dean of academic services and student affairs at Tufts University (1998-2002) and, at the University of Southern California, a senior student affairs officer (1985-1998).
Dr. Dillon and her husband, former Huron Consulting Group principal John R. Curry, have two grown sons, Christopher and Patrick.
president@whittier.edu
