Heidi Macpherson

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President, SUNY Brockport

Years in current role: 10

What was the most significant challenge your organization faced in 2024, and how did you address it?

Like many higher education institutions, we worked hard on trying to create a space for students — and faculty and staff — to have crucial conversations on tough topics and to talk across differences. We are a microcosm of larger society, so it is not surprising that these skills are ones that need to be built up and practiced.

What trends or innovations in your industry do you anticipate having the biggest impact in 2025?

AI will definitely continue to have an impact on higher education, not only in the classroom, but in all facets of our work. It will be vital that we confront the challenges of AI and embrace the opportunities offered, which may feel tricky at times. We have a strong Computing Sciences Department that has an Association for Computing Machinery Special Interest Group on Artificial Intelligence (ACM SIGAI) Student Chapter, so we’re looking at AI from all angles, including how our students can develop AI themselves.

What role do you see Rochester playing in your organization’s growth over the next few years?

One of the goals of our strategic plan is to be “a university engaged with its community.” We are proud to serve Rochester both directly and indirectly, with a number of faculty, staff and administrators sitting on local boards. About a third of our alumni live in the Rochester area, and we have strong links with many local high schools from whom we recruit a good percentage of our incoming students. Rochester businesses regularly offer internship opportunities for our students — or jobs after graduation. We continue to seek opportunities to build strategic relationships with community partners.

What community initiatives or partnerships are you most excited about engaging with this year?

Later this year we will enter the public phase of our latest Comprehensive Campaign, which will offer an opportunity for SUNY Brockport to forge new relationships and strengthen existing ones. I always enjoy being able to showcase to our community partners how investing in SUNY Brockport students can benefit their organizations and our entire region. In addition, we will work with the historic Morgan-Manning House, located in the Village of Brockport, in any way we can as they work to rebuild after their terrible fire earlier this year.

How do you balance fostering innovation while managing day-to-day business operations?

I believe in listening to the team — what are the ideas that are out there? How can we facilitate creative thought? If we’re open to ideas, at any stage, we can help to mold them — as a team — into things that actually work.

This profile is part of our Power 100 list for 2025. Information used in this profile was sourced from the honoree. View the full list at rbj.net.