Conrado Gempesaw


Conrado "Bobby" Gempesaw is Filipino-American academic administrator who serves as the 17th president of St. John's University in New York City. He is the first layperson to hold the position since the university's establishment in 1870, as all 16 prior presidents were Vincentian priests.

Early life and education

Gempesaw is a native of the Philippines, and immigrated to the U.S. in 1980 after earning his Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from Ateneo de Davao University. After settling in the United States, he earning a Master of Science in Agricultural Economics from West Virginia University and Ph.D in Agricultural Economics from Pennsylvania State University.

Career

Gempesaw is the second Filipino-American to serve as a college president of a doctoral research university in the United States. Prior to his role as president, he served as Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. He also served as dean and tenured professor at the Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics at The University of Delaware.
Gempesaw took office as President of St. John's University in July of 2014, succeeding interim president Joseph L. Levesque.
On September 1, 2019, Gempesaw began a three-year term on the NCAA Division I Presidential Forum, the governing board of the NCAA Division I intercollegiate athletic conference.

Personal life

Gempesaw is married to Clavel Albay Gempesaw, an academic who attended the University of Delaware. They have two adult sons.