Sister Margaret Stallmeyer, CDP

President of Thomas More College (2005-2013)

Sister Margaret Stallmeyer championed the enduring strengths of Thomas More College by affirming its commitment to the liberal arts and the Catholic intellectual tradition while preparing the institution for the challenges of the twenty-first century. During her presidency, she directed the implementation of the College’s 2005–2010 Strategic Plan and secured a $1.175 million grant toward a $2.5 million renovation of the Science Center, strengthening the institution’s academic infrastructure. Her leadership advanced the College’s growth while preserving the mission and values that had guided it since its founding in 1921. Reflecting on the institution’s identity, Sister Stallmeyer identified its defining characteristics as “its Catholicity, its liberal arts education, and its adaptability”—principles that shaped her vision for the College’s future.

Prior to her tenure as President of Thomas More College, Sister Stallmeyer had over two decades of experience education and administration. She served as treasurer for the Sisters of Divine Providence for ten years and for five years as the Diocese of Lexington’s tribunal director and judge. From 2001-2003 she was on the Board of Governors of the Canon Law Society of America. She has been on the Thomas More College Board of Trustees for the last six years and on the St. Elizabeth Medical Center Board for ten years, the last four as Chairperson.

Sister Stallmeyer was first made interim president in 2004, coming from the Sisters of Divine Providence in 2004. In 2005, Sister Stallmeyer was inaugurated as Thomas More’s 13th President. The message in her inaugural address was clear: Sister Stallmeyer emphasized Thomas More College’s identity as a Catholic liberal arts institution and sought to put the College in front of the regional community. During her time, Thomas More added ten bachelor’s programs and grew enrollment by 20 percent in the midst of a worldwide recession. Campus also expanded during these years, adding the Mary, Seat of Wisdom Chapel, a biology field station along the Ohio River, a renovated $2.5 million Science Center.

Sister Stallmeyer announced her retirement in 2013, saying it was time to “bring ‘new eyes’ to [Thomas More College’s] reality and the challenges facing higher education.”