Biography
Joanne Li joined the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City’s Omaha Branch Board of Directors in 2023 and has been the Branch chair since 2026. She is the chancellor of the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO).
Dr. Joanne Li is the University of Nebraska at Omaha’s (UNO) 16th chancellor. She stepped into the role in July 2021 following a national search and unanimous approval from the University of Nebraska Board of Regents. In 2023, Dr. Li became the first and only endowed chancellor in the University of Nebraska System, carrying the title of the Barbara and Wally Weitz Endowed Chair in Higher Education.
Dr. Li is an internationally recognized leader committed to transforming communities and empowering students through enhancing access to higher education, developing strategic workforce programs, and inspiring lifelong learning.
As a first-generation student and native of Hong Kong, she has a passion for serving learners of all ages and all social, cultural, and economic backgrounds. Dr. Li ensures UNO Mavericks have the resources and support they need to be successful in their journey and strengthen their economic and social mobility.
Since joining UNO, she has focused on positioning the university - and Omaha - as the state’s workforce development engine through innovative approaches to teaching, learning, working, research, affordability, and partnerships, as well as student retention and support.
As part of the University of Nebraska Foundation’s Only in Nebraska Campaign, Dr. Li has led UNO to record setting fundraising results, exceeding the $300 million fundraising goal more than 2.5 years ahead of schedule. To date, UNO is over $340 million in progress towards a stretch goal of $400 million. In fiscal year 2024, Dr. Li positioned UNO to secure more than $59 million in private philanthropy.
Dr. Li holds a bachelor (summa cum laude) and doctoral degree in finance from Florida State University and became a CFA Charterholder in 2002. As a chartered financial analyst (CFA), Dr. Li’s areas of expertise include corporate governance, executive compensation, investments, and international finance. In addition, Dr. Li is a highly engaged leader and scholar who lends her expertise and experience to a wide array of causes and organizations.
Currently, she is a member of CNBC’s Global Financial Wellness Advisory Board; a member of the European Foundation for Management Development (EFMD); Global Network Americas Advisory Board; and a founding member of the International Advisory Council of the Lisbon School of Economics and Management in Portugal. Dr. Li has been appointed to the Coalition of Urban and Metropolitan Universities (CUMU) Board of Directors and to the United States Strategic Command Consultation Committee. In 2024, she has become an American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) Council of State Representative, and was appointed to the Nebraska Commission on Asian American Affairs. She also serves as a member of the Higher Learning Commission’s (HLC) Board of Trustees; as a member of the Opera Omaha Board of Directors; and as a member of the Omaha Symphony Board of Directors.
Prior to assuming the role of UNO’s chancellor, Dr. Li served as the dean of the Florida International University (FIU) College of Business from May 2017 to June 2021. Before that, Dr. Li was dean and professor of finance at the Raj Soin College of Business at Wright State University, near Wright Patterson Air Force Base in Fairborn, Ohio. She also has served as chair of the Department of Finance at Towson University, and associate professor in the Sellinger School of Business at Loyola University of Maryland.
Learn more about Dr. Li in TEN Magazine.