Regis University has named Shawna Cooper Whitehead as the Jesuit Catholic institution’s first female president in its nearly 150-year history, the Denver-based university announced Monday.
“I just can’t wait to be a part of this community,” Cooper Whitehead, who will be Regis’s 29th president, said in a university news release. “It is a blessing to have the opportunity to serve the mission and the incredible people that make up Regis University. My experience in Jesuit higher education has brought out the best in me professionally and personally, and I hope to give that same gift to all our students, faculty, staff and everyone in the Regis community. I’m ready to get started.”
Cooper Whitehead will begin her role July 1, succeeding interim president Rev. D. Scott Hendrickson, the university announced.
She is coming from Jesuit institution Boston College, where she has served as vice president of student affairs since 2021, according to the news release.
Regis spotlighted a few highlights of her Boston College tenure: raising more than $20 million in philanthropic money for student affairs, using a keynote speaker role for the Wall Street Business Leadership Council to connect with New York’s business community, and training 50 students, faculty and staff in Indigenous-rooted restorative justice practices.
Cooper Whitehead also worked as the vice president of student services at New Jersey’s Seton Hall University, assistant provost at Loyola University Chicago, dean of students at the School of Social Service Administration at the University of Chicago, director of African American Student Affairs at Northwestern University, assistant director of the Student Activities Office at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and assistant dean of the School of Communication at Loyola University Chicago.
“Shawna Cooper Whitehead brings an exceptional record of student-centered leadership and a deep commitment to educational equity that aligns beautifully with our Jesuit mission,” said Derek Scarth, chair of Regis University’s Board of Trustees, in a news release. “The board is proud to welcome the first female president in Regis University’s history and is confident that under her leadership, Regis will continue to grow as a beacon of Jesuit Catholic higher education in the Rocky Mountain West and beyond.”
