Lois Ann Dickson Fitt Rice (February 28, 1933 – January 4, 2017) was an American corporate executive, scholar, and education policy expert.

[1] Known as the ‘‘mother of the Pell Grant” [2] because of her work lobbying for its creation,[1][3] she was national vice president of the College Board from 1973 until 1981.

She was the yearbook editor, student council president, valedictorian, "Most Likely to Succeed", "Most Valuable Female" in her class,[9] and a national debate champion.

[8] Her parents encouraged her to pursue higher education,[1] and Rice earned a bachelor's degree at Radcliffe College of Harvard University in 1954 [5] in history and literature.

[1] It was later renamed the Pell Program, and was widely enacted in the United States to help fund undergraduate educations.

[5] She was a member of the Carnegie Council on Higher Education, and at Harvard she was the chairwoman of the visiting committee to the African American studies program.

[4] She oversaw the company's “interface in federal and state government public affairs and policies.” [5] Rice was married to Emmett J.

[1] The family spent the children's youth living in Shepherd Park in Northwest, Washington, D.C.[10] She divorced Rice when her daughter, Susan, was ten years old.