Dr. Elizabeth Cantwell Named Washington State University’s 12th President

Meet WSU’s 12th President

On February 6, 2025, the Washington State University (WSU) Board of Regents met in a special session to announce the selection of Dr. Elizabeth “Betsy” Cantwell as the university’s 12th president. She will be the first woman to hold the position in the university’s 135-year history. 

Cantwell comes to Washington State University from Utah State University, where she successfully leads a $1.3 billion annual operating budget spanning across the state of Utah in a 30-campus system. As president, she has had significant achievements, including a record-breaking $495 million in sponsored research expenditures, a 10% increase in student scholarship funding, and the expansion of physical infrastructure with the groundbreaking of new education buildings and facilities, not to mention strengthened academic partnerships with industry leaders and a reorganization of the Academic Enterprise.  Beyond her academic accomplishments, Cantwell has demonstrated strong leadership in intercollegiate athletics. She has successfully navigated the complex landscape of modern college sports and engaged in the revitalization of the Pac-12 Conference.

Prior to her role at Utah State University, Cantwell held senior leadership positions in research and innovation at the University of Arizona and Arizona State University. At the University of Arizona, she oversaw a research portfolio exceeding $825 million annually. During her tenure at Arizona State University, she spearheaded the impressive growth of their research enterprise, increasing annual research expenditures from $435 million to $680 million in just three years.

Cantwell’s career also includes extensive service to U.S. national security. She held leadership roles at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and at Oak Ridge and Los Alamos national laboratories. Her work advanced critical missions in energy, defense, and space exploration, collaborating with key federal agencies such as the Department of Energy (DOE), the Department of Defense (DOD), NASA, and the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA). 

Cantwell holds an MBA from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School; a doctorate in mechanical engineering from the University of California, Berkeley; and a bachelor’s degree in human behavior from the University of Chicago.