UW Board of Regents picks Alabama System administrator Tonja Johnson as next Universities of Wisconsin president

The Universities of Wisconsin Board of Regents on Friday unanimously selected Tonjanita “Tonja” L. Johnson, a senior administrator at the University of Alabama System, as the next president of Wisconsin’s public university system. Johnson, 57, has served since 2019 as senior vice chancellor for academic and student affairs at the University of Alabama System. Her appointment is expected to begin on or about Jan. 1, 2027. She will be the 10th president of the Universities of Wisconsin. The board’s Presidential Search Committee recommended Johnson to the full board after public forums, meetings with chancellors and UWs staff leadership, and interviews with the 24-member committee. “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.” She said she plans to work