In March 2026, Roosevelt University announced that President Ali Malekzadeh will retire following the conclusion of his contract in June 2027. The Roosevelt community extends its sincere gratitude to President Malekzadeh for his 12 years of visionary leadership and his deep commitment to the University’s founding mission. His impact will be felt for years to come as we build momentum into the future with the search for Roosevelt’s next president.
Updates on the presidential search will be shared on this page as they become available.
The Roosevelt community is invited to share any thoughts or feedback on the qualities and qualifications that will be important in candidates for the next president. During April of 2026, a series of listening sessions will be held for students, faculty, staff, alumni and donors. Invitations to specific events will be sent via email.
We invite the Roosevelt community to share your thoughts on the presidential search and nominate potential candidates.
Dear Roosevelt University Community,
As the semester draws to a close, I wanted to share a brief update with you regarding the search for Roosevelt’s next president. The month of April was a fruitful one for our search committee and our search partners at WittKieffer. We hosted a total of 19 listening sessions and meetings, where we heard your perspectives about the opportunities and challenges you see ahead for Roosevelt as well as the professional qualifications and personal attributes this new leader should have. Thank you so much to all who participated in a session or met directly with the team at WittKieffer. I was able to listen to quite a few sessions and attend many of the meetings. The conversations and thoughtful comments were very informative. I also want to thank those of you who shared thoughts and feedback by completing the Presidential Search Survey we launched in mid-April.
Over the next few weeks our search partners—in collaboration with Roosevelt’s marketing and communications team—will be drafting the Presidential Leadership Profile, informed by your input. The document will be vetted through the Search Committee and reviewed by the Board of Trustees. We will then move into the recruitment phase of the search, where the WittKieffer team will work over the summer to recruit a pool of exemplary candidates for the next President of Roosevelt.
WittKieffer has established a dedicated email address for you to share nominations of potential candidates for consideration. Please forward names and contact information (if available) to them directly at RooseveltPresident@WittKieffer.com.
Thank you again for your commitment to this very important search effort.
In service,
Valerie Barker Waller
Chair, Presidential Search Committee
Vice Chair, Roosevelt University Board of Trustees