Alumni Recall When Chatham’s President was Their Professor
Lisa Lambert gives an address at 2025 Homecoming & Alumni Reunion Weekend. (Phil Pavely)
For generations of Chatham alumni, University President Lisa Lambert was known not just as a leader, but as a respected teacher who inspired women in the sciences.
Lambert, who was hired at Chatham in 1985 as a faculty member and in 2012 became a full professor of biology, is set to be inaugurated on Thursday, Oct. 15 as Chatham’s 21st president.
Students who had classes with her when she was a faculty member say they remember rigorous scientific coursework and a professor who was always willing to help.
Megan Carson and her husband take a photo at Chatham’s Candlelight holiday celebration circa 2006. (Courtesy of Megan Carson)
“I think what I remember most about Dr. Lambert is that she was not easy,” says Megan Carson ’07. “Because she had standards she knew we were capable of meeting, she held us to those standards. She expected a lot from us.
“It taught me to strive for things I didn’t think I was capable of. She did it in such a way that it didn’t knock me down or impact my confidence. She was encouraging and supportive.”
Carson also remembers Lambert helping with issues she was facing outside the classroom, giving her space and understanding as Carson grieved the passing of her grandmother.
Another example of this support Carson remembers came when she was planning to attend a research conference as an undergraduate, and she realized the data she gathered wasn’t ready to be presented.
“That was not an easy decision to make, to end up not attending the conference, because my results did not support the thesis I’d initially come up with,” Carson says. “[Dr. Lambert] helped me look at it with a very frank, evidence-based evaluation, and it gave me the level of comfort to say, ‘No, I don’t think this is the type of data I want to present.’ You learn from those mistakes, and she was very supportive through that whole process.”
Beth Brosky Imdieke as she appeared in a 1989 issue of the Chatham Communiqué.
Beth Brosky Imdieke ’89 took biology and genetics with Lambert, who was also her tutorial advisor. “She was a wonderful professor and mentor,” she says. “Always very prepared, could explain difficult concepts with ease. She cared that you learned the material.”
Lambert helped guide Brosky Imdieke through a dental-based research project. “She was a great sport about learning about dentistry,” Brosky Imdieke recalls, saying the successful project helped her get accepted into dental school.
“What I remember most about Dr. Lambert was that she was always there, always prepared, always cared about you, the person, and that you learned the course material,” she says.
Jennifer Paluso-Miller poses for a photo with her parents at her 1998 undergraduate graduation ceremony. (Courtesy of Jennifer Paluso-Miller)
Jennifer Paluso-Miller ’98, MPT ’00, came to Chatham as a transfer student from Duquesne University. She loved the small class sizes at Shadyside Campus. “At Duquesne, my one biology class had 250 students,” she says. “Switching to Chatham, I was surprised how small the class sizes were, but I really enjoyed it. I think my microbiology course with Dr. Lambert had under 20 students.”
Paluso-Miller said her favorite part of the course was working in the lab. “I remember [Dr. Lambert] actually walked around with the students, showed them the slides, and pointed things out under the microscope,” she says.
Lambert poses for a photo in her office in 1986.
“You could just walk up to her and ask her a question, and she would take the time to answer you,” Paluso-Miller adds. “She was very hands on with her students, which I appreciated.”
And having Lambert, a woman who worked in the sciences, as an advisor had an impact as well, Paulso-Miller says. “I’ve heard other women say they had challenges getting into biology, chemistry, or mathematics. I never had that, and I think part of that was because it was also a women’s school. There was no guy in chemistry to tell you you’re doing something wrong.”
Now that Lambert is about to be inaugurated as president, these women said they’re excited to see her as the leader of their alma mater.
“I was very happy to see, first of all, that it was somebody from the sciences,” says Paluso-Miller. “I know that sounds a little bit funny, but, you know, the science program was small when I was there. And second of all, I do like the fact that it was somebody that had been working and teaching there for so long.”
“I was so happy to hear she was named as Chatham’s president,” Brosky Imdieke says. “I believe she will do great things for Chatham. She has been with the University for years. She knows well the needs of the school as a whole and will help move it forward.”
“I think she always had a passion for Chatham and its missions,” says Carson, “and she completely embodied what I thought of as a ‘Chatham woman.’”
The inauguration of Lisa Lambert is scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 15. Learn more at inauguration.chatham.edu.