Donor Spotlight: Lisa Frye ’90, M’93

Dr. Lisa Frye ’90, M’93 has had a fascinating career; but as a two-time Kutztown University alum and the Chair of the Computer Science and Information Technology Department, she’s always found her way back to KU.

Lisa’s first graduation from the university came in 1990 as both a secondary education/mathematics major and a computer science major. Though she explored teaching at the high school level, her interests ultimately took her in the direction of computer science.

When Lisa heard Unisys, a global technology solutions company, was looking to hire KU graduates, she joined the team as a System Support Analyst. Then, in 1992, she returned to KU as a System Operator, overseeing shifts in the computer center and assisting with campus systems and internet. Already, Lisa was occupying spaces where women were not well represented—during a time where computer science was rapidly evolving.

“Women still had to wear dresses and skirts,” she shared about a job she once held at Electronic Data Systems. In the same role, she worked on developing train route applications, never quite knowing where her work could take her.

Resuming her studies at KU, Lisa graduated with a master’s degree in computer science in 1993. She became a Networking Software Specialist, where she assisted with the design, installation, and management of a campus-wide, switched Ethernet network.

“IT used to run wires,” Lisa said, recalling work that sometimes came home with her. “I would sit in front of the TV and make cables.”

It wasn’t too long before Lisa came back to teaching—this time, at the college level. In 1998, she worked as an adjunct at several institutions before returning to KU, where she has made an impressive impact. She has expanded opportunities for students through clubs, grants, and her own giving.

Amid donations to the KU Annual Fund and other areas of need, the Women’s Athletic Scholarship for STEM has been given out three times so far. “I know what it’s like to try to come up with money when you’re in school and an athlete,” she said.

Nowadays, you can catch Lisa around campus or at various athletic events. She’s a Golden Bear through and through, and after a career that always led back to her alma mater, she shared, “I don’t plan on going anywhere else.”