Russ Kavalhuna

President- Western Michigan University

Russ Kavalhuna is the 10th president of Western Michigan University, having assumed the role on July 1, 2025. A Kalamazoo native and WMU alumnus, he earned his bachelor’s degree in aviation science from WMU and a J.D. from Cooley Law School. His career spans aviation, law, and education: he worked as a commercial airline captain for US Airways Express, served as a law clerk for the Michigan Supreme Court, and spent over six years as a federal prosecutor in Grand Rapids. He later returned to WMU as executive director of flight operations at the College of Aviation before serving seven years as president of Henry Ford College in Dearborn. In June 2026, WMU’s Board of Trustees extended his contract to eight years, with Kavalhuna declining an accompanying pay increase.