University of Southern Maine President Dr. Jacqueline “Jackie” Edmondson has been featured on the cover of The Enterprise World’s Women Leaders of 2025 issue. The feature story, “Dr. Jacqueline Edmondson: Empowering Students and Shaping the Future of Higher Education,” explores her leadership philosophy and her commitment to student success and community partnership.
Reflecting on her approach to leadership, President Edmondson shared,
“I am a soft-spoken person, and I don’t aim to change that in any way. Yet when I am in conversations, I find myself strategizing about how I can most effectively use my voice and be heard. Often, I find that I work hard to use as few words as possible to make my point. I don’t know if that is really about my gender and my voice, but instead, if I am in a meeting, it is probably more about the fact that time can be limited and I want to be sure as many voices as possible are heard.”
Click here to read the full feature
President Edmondson’s inclusion among this distinguished group of women leaders highlights USM’s growing national profile and its dedication to fostering inclusion, innovation, and opportunity in higher education.