Maurie McInnis, a longtime higher education leader and cultural historian, was named the 24th president of Yale University on Wednesday.
With the appointment, she becomes the first woman to be appointed permanently to the position.
McInnis, 58, is the president of Stony Brook University on Long Island in New York. She will succeed Peter Salovey, who is retiring and taking a faculty position at the Ivy League school in New Haven, Connecticut.
Yale said McInnis was the unanimous choice of the school’s Board of Trustees.
“A compelling leader, distinguished scholar, and devoted educator, she brings to the role a deep understanding of higher education and an unwavering commitment to our mission and academic priorities,” senior trustee Josh Bekenstein said in a statement. “Her experience and accomplishments over the past three decades have prepared her to lead Yale in the years ahead.”
McInnis, who starts her new job on July 1, has been Stony Brook’s president since 2020 and previously served as executive vice president and provost of the University of Texas at Austin.
She has served as a Yale trustee since 2022 and received her master’s degree and doctorate at Yale, where she studied art history.
“I look forward to many things when I begin my service,” McInnis said in a statement. “At the top of the list is to reconnect with those I know and to meet so many more of you. You make this university what it is.”
She added, “Our faculty members are not only international leaders in their own fields but also drive innovation in other academic disciplines and progress in other sectors. Our talented staff advance every aspect of our university and bring excellence to all they do. Similarly, our students excel in their studies, while also making Yale a richer community through their art-making, advocacy, and deep engagement with the local community.”
