Ellucian CEO Laura Ipsen Named 2026 CNBC Changemaker
Key Highlights
- CNBC Changemakers: Women Transforming Business annual list recognizes women leaders driving measurable impact across business and philanthropy.
- Ipsen was selected for purpose-driven leadership advancing technology innovation transforming higher education worldwide.
- Under Ipsen’s leadership, Ellucian has accelerated higher education’s transition to SaaS technology platforms and delivered cutting-edge AI-powered capabilities that improve the student experience and help institutions achieve stronger results.
RESTON, VA — Ellucian, the leading higher education technology solutions provider, today announced that its President and CEO Laura K. Ipsen has been named to the 2026 CNBC Changemakers: Women Transforming Business list. The annual recognition spotlights leaders who are taking novel approaches to longstanding business challenges and identifying new opportunities for impact and growth, making a measurable difference for their organizations, industries and communities. Ipsen was selected for her track record of leading purpose-driven innovation and guiding Ellucian’s continued transformation to deliver higher education technology that expands opportunity and advances learner success worldwide.
“I’m deeply honored to be named to this year’s CNBC Changemakers list alongside leaders who are reimagining what’s possible and turning bold ideas into meaningful impact,” said Laura Ipsen, President and CEO, Ellucian. “This recognition is all about our entire Ellucian team and our community in higher education who show up every day and put students first. Together, we are building the future of learning and unlocking learning for all.”
Highlights of Ipsen’s leadership at Ellucian
Since joining Ellucian in 2017, Ipsen has helped advance Ellucian’s mission to power higher education so institutions can empower student success — driving progress for colleges and universities around the world, including:
- Accelerating SaaS innovation that simplifies operations, reduces complexity, and helps institutions focus more time and resources on students.
- Advancing AI-powered platform capabilities that enable more personalized experiences and data-informed decisions across campus.
- Launching the Ellucian Foundation, an independent nonprofit organization behind the PATH Scholarship program, which has awarded $3.7 million in grants to 200+ institutions and supported 3,700+ students to date.
About Laura Ipsen
Laura Ipsen is President and CEO of Ellucian and a technology industry veteran with more than 30 years of experience in transformative roles across Silicon Valley at companies including Oracle, Microsoft, and Cisco. She serves as Chair of the Board of Directors for the Business-Higher Education Forum (BHEF) and sits on the Supervisory Board of Daimler Truck Holding AG. In 2025, she was elected to the Board of Directors of the Northern Virginia Technology Council (NVTC).
To see the full list of 2026 CNBC Changemakers, visit: https://www.cnbc.com/2026/02/25/changemakers-list-women-business-leadership.html
To learn more about Ellucian, visit: https://www.ellucian.com/
