The Canisius College Board of Trustees announced last week that Steve K. Stoute, JD, vice president for strategic initiatives and chief of staff at DePaul University in Chicago, IL, was named the institution’s 25th president. He will begin his tenure on July 1, 2022.
Stoute (pictured above) was selected following a 10-month nationwide search led by a 15-member Presidential Search Committee representing the college’s constituencies. Stoute joined DePaul, the largest Catholic university in the United States, in June 2018 to serve as chief of staff. He also has served as vice president for strategic initiatives since June 2020. “We were extremely impressed with Presidentelect Stoute’s experience and accomplishments,” said Martin J. Berardi ’79, chair of the college’s Board Steve K. Stoute of Trustees.
Stoute will succeed President John J. Hurley who announced his retirement after serving 12 years as president and 25 years overall at Canisius. “Presidential transitions are important moments in the life of a university,” said Hurley. “I’m confident that Steve Stoute will bring fresh perspectives to the challenges and opportunities in front of us and form a new strategic vision that will build on the fundamental strengths of Canisius and secure an even brighter future for us.”
“I believe in the transformative power of Catholic higher education because that is my life story,” Stoute said. “At this moment in our history, Canisius College is being called to transform our city, region, country and world by educating the next generation of leaders—individuals who are equityminded, justice-oriented and values-centered. I am excited to engage all our constituents and collaborators in Western New York and beyond, to answer that call, with the knowledge that our Jesuit, Catholic mission and values will be our guide on the journey.”
An attorney, Stoute previously worked as an associate specializing in corporate and securities matters at Dechert LLP in Philadelphia, PA. His higher education experience includes work at Princeton University, and at the University of Southern California.
Born and raised in Trinidad and Tobago, Stoute immigrated to the United States in 2000 to attend Seton Hall University in New Jersey where he graduated magna cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in business administration. After completing the prestigious NCAA postgraduate internship, he attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he completed a master’s degree in exercise and sport science. He earned a JD from the University of Pennsylvania Law School. Stoute and his wife, Alison, will move to Buffalo with their two daughters, Isabelle and Genevieve.