People: Robert M. Valli newest president of Sierra Nevada University

INCLINE VILLAGE, Nev. — In late August, Sierra Nevada University in Incline Village announced Robert M. Valli as the college’s newest president.

Valli, an alumnus of UC Berkeley, Stanford, and Cambridge universities, replaces interim president Ed Zschau.

According to an Aug. 31 press release, Valli comes to SNU from his most recent role as Dean of Long Island University Post’s College of Management, where he collaborated on programs such as the M.S. in Data Analytics and Strategic Business Intelligence, and the B.S. in Sports Management.

Valli also worked to help create LIU’s one-year Global MBA program, where students studied at LIU in New York, Fudan University in China, and Cambridge University in the U.K.

“I am grateful and excited to welcome Dr. Valli’s energy and extensive experience to the Sierra Nevada University team. The application of his depth and breadth of expertise to the Board’s vision for SNU will create opportunities and outcomes for our students, the likes of which we have only begun to envision,” stated Dr. Atam Lalchandani, chair of the SNU Board of Trustees. “I am confident his enthusiasm to engage with students, faculty, staff, and our community at large will ensure a successful future for SNU.”

Valli’s career trajectory spans academic administration, nonprofit policy development, investment banking, and Silicon Valley ventures, offering a unique arsenal of hybrid skills essential to modern-day college leaders.

Valli is an accomplished author and a certified Franklin-Covey Facilitator, among other accomplishments.

“I am delighted that Rob will be leading Sierra Nevada University in the years ahead. He brings a wealth of international connections and a well-developed entrepreneurial mindset across disciplines and departments,” Zschau, who served as Interim President for the 15 months, said in a statement. “Dr. Valli’s arrival at Sierra Nevada University validates SNU’s commitment to entrepreneurship, expands the interdisciplinarity inherent in the small campus setting, and supports the long-standing history of producing enterprise creators across all disciplines on the shores of Lake Tahoe.”