George Mason University has a new president.
After an eight month search, Gregory Washington was named to the role.
The appointment was announced by the Board of Visitors on Monday, according to a release on GMU’s website.
The board, according to Rector Tom Davis, sought a visionary who thinks strategically and motivates others.
“Dr. Gregory Washington stood out in a very competitive search,” Davis said in a release. “He showed tremendous vision for the future of our region and how we fit in, and displayed the ability to motivate and inspire our community. I look forward to working with him and seeing him position Mason as a leader in higher education.”
Currently the dean for the Henry Samueli School of Engineering at University of California, Irvine (UCI), Washington is expected to start his new position on July 1.
“I look forward to helping continue to accelerate the trajectory of the institution,” Washington said in a release. “The Mason community has laid an extraordinary foundation and my job is take us forward and build on that success. I feel really blessed to have been given this opportunity and can’t wait to get started.”
Washington, who received his bachelor’s, master’s and PhD from North Carolina State University, is the university’s first African American president.
He has written more than 150 pieces that were published and created a Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) ecosystem.
Starting graduate and undergraduate programs are among his UCI accomplishments.
Anne Holton has been serving as Interim President.
“I am so pleased to welcome Dr. Washington as George Mason University’s next president,” Holton said in a release. “I congratulate the Board on its choice of a visionary leader who embodies George Mason’s core values of Access to Excellence.”
