Luis M. Proenza


Luis Mariano Proenza is president emeritus of The University of Akron. Proenza served on the United States President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology under the George W. Bush administration to enable the office of the president to receive advice from the private and academic sectors on technology, scientific research priorities, and math and science education. In 2013, President Barack Obama appointed Proenza and 18 others in academia, industry, and labor to the Advanced Manufacturing Partnership Steering Committee 2.0, created to help strengthen the U.S. advanced manufacturing sector.
Proenza holds a bachelor's degree from Emory University, a master's degree from Ohio State University and a doctorate from the University of Minnesota. He is also a former member of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity.

President of The University of Akron

Proenza served as president of The University of Akron from 1999 until 2014. In 2014, he was awarded the H. Peter Burg Economic Leadership Award by the Greater Akron Chamber of Commerce for his accomplishments as president, which included expanding the University's footprint into downtown and the completion of 21 new facilities, 18 renovations/additions, and 34 acres of green space.
Proenza took a sabbatical leave from the university from 2014 to 2016. He returned as a full-time tenured professor in the Office of Academic Affairs in 2016.