President & CEO

Phi Theta Kappa President and CEO

The President and CEO of Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society, Dr. Lynn Tincher-Ladner spends her time connecting many of the nation’s hardest-working college students to life-changing scholarships and family-sustaining employment. She tells her children that it’s “the best job on the planet.”

It’s also a busy job. On most days, you’ll find Lynn serving as the champion of both community colleges and community college students, using data collected from her innovative research to tell their stories and to advocate for the support of remarkable students and quality institutions of higher learning.

Although an introvert, Lynn’s passion and position have established her as an inspired speaker with engagements crisscrossing the country: she frequently presents her state-of-the-art statistics on student success at national conferences and regularly speaks at college convocations and commencements.

A self-described “steminist,” her educational background includes a Ph.D. in Community College Leadership from Mississippi State University and both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in mathematics from the University of Southern Mississippi.

Lynn’s unique perspective might also be traced back to what she refers to as “an advanced degree from the school of hard knocks.” She recalls entering the workforce in 1990 when REM’s “Shiny Happy People” was the Number One song. Long before promotion into her current role, Lynn began as a waitress at Shoney’s, followed by upgrades as a high school teacher; graduate assistant; community college math, chemistry, and physics instructor; computer programmer; database administrator; institutional researcher; and university faculty member for mathematics and operations research.

Lynn believes the Society’s hallmark of service extends to the Headquarters staff as well as PTK members, so she is honored to serve on the national boards for the Center for Community College Student Engagement, and the Board of Directors for the American Association of Community Colleges and Rural Community College Alliance. Lynn also serves as a member of the United States Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board.

Lynn is decidedly dedicated to talking and writing about creating opportunities for students and connects with her national audience through social media. Follow Lynn on Instagram @dr_lynn_ptk, and on X @tincherladner.

Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society is the first and most prestigious honor society for students seeking associate degrees and credentials from community colleges and other open-access institutions, with 1,250 chapters on college campuses in all 50 of the United States, U.S. territorial possessions and 11 sovereign nations. More than 4 million students have been inducted since its founding in 1918, with approximately 230,000 active members in the nation’s community colleges.