The University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education (Penn GSE) has named John Silvanus Wilson, Jr.—a nationally recognized leader in higher education—as the next executive director of the McGraw Center for Educational Leadership. Dean Katharine O. Strunk, the George and Diane Weiss Professor of Education, announced the appointment today, with Wilson set to begin his role on September 2, 2025.

Wilson’s role at the McGraw Center will leverage his deep expertise to advance the Center’s mission of cultivating visionary educational leaders. A Philadelphia native, Wilson returns to his hometown with decades of experience at the highest levels of academic leadership, public service, and institutional advancement. Most recently, Wilson helped establish the Open Leadership Project at MIT’s Media Lab. He has served as executive director of the White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities under President Barack Obama, president of Morehouse College, and senior adviser and strategist to two Harvard University Presidents. In 1985, his professional life began at the start of American higher education’s billion-dollar capital campaign era, and he spent 16 years as a successful fundraiser at MIT.

“The McGraw Center for Educational Leadership plays a vital role in bringing our strategic vision, Together for Good, to life,” said Strunk. “By welcoming Dr. Wilson, we are investing in leaders who can rise to the challenges of today and tomorrow—leaders who will collaborate across sectors, bridge research and practice, and advance education as a public good.”

Read the full announcement on the Penn GSE website here.