About the Lincolns

The University’s name honors two visionary, generous people: Joan and David Lincoln.

The vision, passion, integrity, intellectual leadership and financial support provided by Joan and David Lincoln have been key to the establishment of Claremont Lincoln University.

A trustee of Claremont School of Theology since 2003, David Lincoln’s initial letters to Claremont’s President Jerry Campbell were the catalyst that sparked the planning process to achieve a profound new strategic vision. The ongoing intellectual and business acumen provided by David guided the planning and implementation of the Project.

“David has been instrumental in visualizing how we might introduce a new model of theological education that would not be segregated by religious tradition.” Claremont President Jerry D. Campbell

Over the course of his life, David Lincoln has worn many hats: engineer, entrepreneur, philanthropist, venture capitalist, education advocate, and non-profit leader. His companies and other interests have been tremendously successful, not only due to David’s entrepreneurship, business acumen and management practices, but also his ethical commitment to advancing the common good. In his usual clear and concise style, David often says, “Good ethics is good business.”

But David could not have done it alone. Joan Lincoln, a professional ceramist educated at Scripps College, was active in the arts and community of Paradise Valley, Ariz., serving as an elected member of the city council and mayor. In arts and activism, she too made her mark.

David and Joan have used their successes to fund forward-thinking donations to a number of non-profits and educational institutions, including the John C. Lincoln Health Network, the Lincoln Center for Applied Ethics at Arizona State University, the Lincoln Center for Ethics at the Thunderbird School of Global Management, and the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy.

Joan and David are particularly pleased with the idea of creating an interreligious university that reflects the power and potential of the Golden Rule, which many religious traditions share. They believe the outcome of this approach to education will be tolerance and respect among religions and the ability to better address global problems where religious collaboration and cooperation are needed to reach solutions and repair the world.