W&J names new president
Courtesy of washington & Jefferson College
Washington & Jefferson College has named a new president.
Dr. Elizabeth MacLeod Walls will become the college’s 14th president, succeeding Dr. John C. Knapp, who will retire June 30.
The college’s board of trustees made the announcement Tuesday.
MacLeod Walls currently serves as president of William Jewell College, a private liberal arts college in Liberty, Mo.
“W&J has had a long history of strong leaders who have transformed the college,” said Donna Haley Grier, chair of W&J’s board of trustees. “After an extensive and inclusive search, the board of trustees unanimously and enthusiastically selected Dr. MacLeod Walls to lead W&J into the future.”
MacLeod Walls has served as president of William Jewell since 2016.
“The unique ethos of Washington & Jefferson College – simultaneously committed to excellence in the liberal arts and fostering a culture of innovation – is compelling within the ecosystem of private colleges of W&J’s academic caliber,” MacLeod Walls said in a released issued by W&J. “I have devoted my career to helping our sector sustain, and, ideally, thrive; it is my honor to bring my passion for this work to the Washington & Jefferson community.”
Prior to joining William Jewell, MacLeod Walls served in numerous academic and senior leadership roles at Nebraska Wesleyan University and Bryan College of Health Sciences in Lincoln, Neb.
She earned her doctorate in English literature and classical rhetoric from Texas Christian University and her Bachelor of Arts degree in English and history from Hiram College, where she was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa.
MacLeod Walls is an alumna of the Harvard New Presidents Program, the Harvard Management and Leadership Program, the ACE Women in Leadership Program, and the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy program.
She serves on the board of the Council of Independent Colleges and is active in higher education leadership and advocacy.
“The presidential search committee was impressed by Dr. MacLeod Walls bold and strategic vision and believes that her experience and determination are the right combination of skills to lead W&J,” said Dr. Keith T. Ghezzi, chair of the presidential search committee. “Elizabeth has the unique ability to balance being a patient listener as well as a decisive and deliberate leader.”
She will be joined by her husband, the Rev. Dr. Craig MacLeod Walls, the founding director of the Center for Faith and Culture at William Jewell College. The couple has two college-aged children, Alec and John.