UW-System Board of Regents Select New President

Tuesday, November 3rd, 2026 -- 11:00 AM

(Wisconsin Radio Network) A new president for the UW System.

According to the Wisconsin Radio Network, the Universities of Wisconsin Board of Regents announcing Friday that 57-year-old Tonja Johnson, a senior vice chancellor in the University of Alabama system, will become the next UW system president.

Johnson was one of three finalists and will be the first person of color to lead the system since its creation in 1971. In a statement, she said her goal is “to help our remarkable UW universities become even stronger, more connected and more consequential to the future of Wisconsin.”

Johnson replaces Jay Rothman, who was fired in April in a unanimous decision by the Regents.

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