January 23, 2026
Linda Blaser
Davis Schneiderman named President of Ringling College of Art and Design
Krebs Center Executive Director and Professor of English Davis Schneiderman, a longtime academic leader at Lake Forest College, has been named the next president of Ringling College of Art and Design in Sarasota, Florida.
Ringling’s Board of Trustees voted unanimously on January 15 to elect Schneiderman as the College’s seventh president. He will assume office on June 1, 2026.
Schneiderman has served Lake Forest College for more than two decades, most recently as the founding Executive Director of the Krebs Center for the Humanities and previously as Krebs Provost and Dean of the Faculty. In these roles, he helped guide the College through periods of curricular innovation, technological change, and institutional growth, while advancing creativity, interdisciplinary inquiry, and student-centered learning.
As Krebs Provost and Dean of the Faculty, Schneiderman worked closely with the Board of Trustees and senior leadership to shape academic strategy, long-range planning, and resource allocation across academic and co-curricular areas. His leadership emphasized flexible and sustainable academic structures capable of evolving alongside emerging disciplines, technologies, and student pathways.
Most recently, Schneiderman led the launch of the Krebs Center for the Humanities, a public-facing cultural institution that connects creative practice, technology, and community engagement. Anchored by a museum collection housed in a historic Italianate residence, the Krebs Center integrates exhibitions, symposia, artist residencies, and community programs, and has fostered partnerships with regional and national cultural organizations.
A nationally recognized voice in higher education, Schneiderman is known for his work at the intersection of creativity, technology, and the humanities. A published novelist, writer, and multimedia artist, he is a frequent speaker at national and international conferences and cultural venues.
Lake Forest College President Mike Sosulski said Schneiderman’s leadership has had a lasting impact on the institution.
“I have been privileged to know Davis for many years and have been consistently impressed by his innovative thinking and leadership at Lake Forest College and across higher education,” he said. “While he will be greatly missed, we congratulate him on this well-deserved appointment and wish him every success as president of Ringling College of Art and Design.”
Schneiderman will continue in his current role at Lake Forest College through the end of the academic year before transitioning to Ringling College of Art and Design this summer.