MADISON, WI (WSAU-WAOW) – The Universities of Wisconsin Board of Regents unanimously selected Dr. Tonjanita (Tonja) L. Johnson as the next UWs president.
Johnson, 57, currently serves as senior vice chancellor for academic and student affairs at the University of Alabama System, a position she has held since 2019. Her appointment will begin on or about Jan. 1, 2027, according to an announcement from UW on Friday.
Johnson was one of three finalists for the position. Dr. Steven Gareth Holley, executive vice chancellor and chief operating officer at the University of Mississippi, and Dr. Bernard J. Savarese, vice president for academic affairs, research and student success in the University of Tennessee System, were also considered. “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 looks forward to working with chancellors, faculty, staff, students, elected leaders and partners across Wisconsin to ensure the universities remain engines of opportunity, innovation and economic vitality. “My goal is to help our remarkable UW universities become even stronger, more connected, and more consequential to the future of Wisconsin,” Johnson said.
The Presidential Search Committee recommended Johnson to the full board following public forums, meetings with chancellors and UWs staff leadership, and interviews with a diverse 24-member committee. “The Universities of Wisconsin have always been ladders of opportunity, opening doors for students and creating possibilities for generations ahead,” said Regent President Kyle Weatherly. “Dr. Johnson understands that promise, and she also understands that fulfilling it in the future will require us to keep innovating.”
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