Alabama Vice Chancellor Will Lead UW System

Tonja Johnson will be the next president of the Universities of Wisconsin. Photo courtesy of UW system Tonja Johnson, a senior vice chancellor in the University of Alabama System, will become the next president of the Universities of Wisconsin. The Board of Regents announced Johnson’s appointment Friday. Johnson, 57, will be the first person of color to lead the system since its creation in 1971. “My goal is to help our remarkable UW universities become even stronger, more connected, and more consequential to the future of Wisconsin,” Johnson said in a statement. Johnson was one of three finalists for the position, along with 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. She replaces Jay Rothman who was fired in April in a unanimous decision by the Regents. Renée Wachter will continue to serve as