Lynn Stauffer

Dr. Lynn Stauffer is a Professor of Computer Science at Sonoma State University. She served as Dean of the School of Science and Technology from 2010 to 2020. Serving as a champion for the sciences and a role model for women in STEM, Dr. Stauffer became the first female faculty member in the Computer Science Department at Sonoma State in 1994. As Dean, she led  efforts to inspire young people of all backgrounds to pursue STEM fields. She sees the potential for STEM skills to be the great equalizer of this next generation.  She was recognized as an Inspiring Leaders in STEM award recipient from the national Insight Into Diversity magazine and as a Women Business Leader by the North Bay Business Journal.

In her Dean role, Dr. Stauffer oversaw nine academic departments covering the life and physical sciences, engineering and computer science and the health-related programs in nursing and kinesiology. As Dean, she was an innovative and engaged leader working alongside talented and devoted faculty and staff who shared a commitment to student success and to advancing Sonoma State on its quest to be a national model for public higher education. She was the lead on a multi-year STEM Talent Expansion grant from the National Science Foundation. Among the outcomes of STEPping Up STEM at SSU is an innovative interdisciplinary year-long freshman-year experience. The resulting course is a model for supporting freshmen in their transition to college while exploring scientific and mathematical concepts and meeting general education requirements for graduation. She also partnered with UC Berkeley on an NSF-funded project focused on transforming STEM undergraduate teaching and learning.

Dr. Stauffer is currently the PI on a Koret Foundation grant supporting the Sonoma Mountain Connection (SMC). SMC is a is a two-year cohort program for first-time, first-year students in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) majors, funded by the Koret Foundation. SMC provides students a summer research immersion and enriched academic year experience. Overall, SMC integrates three of the highest-impact educational practices documented to improve academic success: cohorting, research experiences, and outdoor learning.

Dr. Stauffer served for several years on the California State University Program for Education and Research in Biotechnology (CSUPERB) Strategic Planning Council and as a campus representative on the CSU Council on Ocean Affairs, Science & Technology (COAST). Prior to becoming Dean, Dr. Stauffer held academic appointments at Sonoma as Chair of the Computer Science Department, Director of Academic Resources and Planning for the School of Science and Technology, and Founder and Director of the Mathematics, Engineering, Science Achievement (MESA) Program. At Sonoma State, she co-Chaired the Graduation Initiative Group and served on several boards in the North Bay region.

Dr. Stauffer earned her Ph.D. in Computer Science from the University of California at Irvine. Her doctoral work considered the design and analysis of algorithms and data structures with a focus in the fields of data compression and parallel computation.