American University Names Former Obama Cabinet Member as New President

Joelle Fredman
WMAL.com

WASHINGTON — (WMAL) American University named the former Secretary of the US Department of Health and Human Services, Sylvia Mathews Burwell, as their 15th president Thursday.

When she assumes her role on June 1, Burwell will become the first female president of the college.

“Secretary Burwell’s success at HHS reflects three key abilities that will make her an excellent president for our university. She fosters research and scholarship, and turns them into action. She embraces and leverages the strengths of a large, diverse institution to advance its goals, and she is able to convey complex ideas to a wide range of audiences, from members of congress to the public, in pushing for evidence-based actions and outcomes,” Kiho Kim, professor of environmental science and a member of the Presidential Search Committee, said in a press release.