Alumni Dr. Willie McKether named chancellor of Thomas Jefferson University's East Falls Campus

Dr. Willie McKether graduated with his Ph.D. in Anthropology from Wayne State in the spring of 2005. He is a business anthropologist with expertise in strategic planning, student retention and graduation rates, mentorship programs, social mobility, inclusivity efforts, curriculum development, administration and community relations. At Wayne State, Dr. McKether's dissertation research, later published as a book, focused on the Great Migration of African Americans from the rural south to Saginaw, Michigan.

Dr. McKether is also an expert in social network analysis and in this capacity, he served as an advisor to the American Anthropological Association in its efforts to make the profession accessible to more diverse groups of students

After graduating from WSU's anthropology graduate program, Dr. McKether was offered a position as an Assistant Professor of Anthropology at the University of Toledo. Most recently he served as vice president for diversity, inclusion and equity, and vice provost at the University of Toledo. He assumed his new role as the chancellor of Thomas Jefferson University's East Falls Campus at the end of September 2021.

In his new role, Chancellor McKether will be a key member of University Provost Mark Tykocinski's cabinet and will focus on bolstering the connected student experience and developing innovative ways to engage with students. He will also be working alongside Dr. Charles Pohl, M.D., chancellor of the Jefferson - Center City Campus, to nurture a student-centered culture based on the University's mission, vision and values, and he will play an important role in driving pipeline programs and linking students to their surrounding communities.

Together, Chancellors McKether and Pohl will highlight the Nexus Learning approach that includes active, collaborative, real-world learning and grounded in the liberal arts, innovation and creativity.