UW Regents choose next UW president

The University of Wisconsin Board of Regents unanimously chose Tonjanita Johnson, a senior vice chancellor in the University of Alabama System, to be the next president of the Universities of Wisconsin. 

Johnson, 57, has served as the senior vice chancellor for academic and student affairs at the University of Alabama System since 2019. 

“I am deeply honored by the confidence the Board of Regents has placed in me and excited about the opportunity to serve the people of Wisconsin,” Johnson said in a statement. “Public higher education has the power to improve lives, strengthen communities, and shape a state’s future.” 

Johnson’s appointment will begin on or about Jan. 1, 2027. She’ll be the first person of color to lead the UW system.

Renée Wachter has been serving as the interim president since May. She will return to serving as the chancellor of UW-Superior when Johnson takes up the president role.

Johnson will be the 10th system president and will succeed Jay Rothman, who was fired from the position in April after the Board said it had lost confidence in him. 

Johnson was chosen from a group of three finalists that included Steven Gareth Holley, executive vice chancellor and chief operating officer at the University of Mississippi, and Bernard  Savarese, vice president for academic affairs, research, and student success at the University of Tennessee System. 

“I look forward to working with our chancellors, faculty, staff, students, elected leaders, and partners across Wisconsin to ensure that our universities remain engines of opportunity, innovation, and economic vitality,” Johnson said. “My goal is to help our remarkable UW universities become even stronger, more connected, and more consequential to the future of Wisconsin.” 

In her position at the University of Alabama System, Johnson has overseen academic and student affairs, worked as the primary liaison to the Board of Trustees Academic Affairs and Student Affairs Committee and worked with campus and system leadership on institutional priorities and policy development. She has also represented Alabama’s public universities with government agencies, education partners and national organizations.

Regent Vice President Ashok Rai, who chaired the presidential search committee, said in a statement that the regents’ goal was to “identify an exceptional leader who understands both the enormous responsibility and the extraordinary potential of the Universities of Wisconsin, and who can chart a bold course for our future.” 

“Dr. Johnson brings the vision, experience, and leadership to do exactly that. She understands complex public university systems, she believes deeply in their ability to change lives and strengthen communities, and she has the ability to bring people together around a shared direction for the future,” Rai said.