The Western Michigan University Board of Trustees appointed Russ Kavalhuna, J.D., as the 10th president of Western Michigan University, bringing to the role an unmatched blend of public service, higher education leadership and a results-oriented approach to education that will build on WMU’s positive momentum. He is set to join campus on July 1, 2025.

Currently president of Henry Ford College (HFC) and a WMU alumnus with a multifaceted professional background, Kavalhuna has charted a career defined by advocacy, accountability and transformative leadership. His appointment comes following a nationwide search for a leader to succeed WMU’s current president, Dr. Edward Montgomery, who retires on June 30.

As president of HFC since 2018, Kavalhuna has led the more than 11,000-student institution in Dearborn, Michigan, to achieve enrollment growth along with increased retention and graduation rates. Prior to his appointment as the college’s president, he was executive director of flight operations at WMU’s College of Aviation, a role Kavalhuna assumed after serving as a federal prosecutor, a Michigan Supreme Court law clerk and, before that, as a commercial airline captain.

President-elect Kavalhuna has never chosen the easy path—only the meaningful one, says WMU Board of Trustees Chair Shelly Edgerton. “That’s exactly the kind of leadership we need in this era of change. He is principled, agile and collaborative, and we’re confident he is the right person to lead our institution through the greatest disruption higher education has seen in a generation.”

Read the original and complete announcement on the Western Michigan University website here.