Seasoned President Russ Kavalhuna, JD Appointed 10th President of Western Michigan University

Russ Kavalhuna, J.D. will be leaving Henry Ford College for Western Michigan University effective July 1, 2025. 

Kavalhuna previously served as executive director of flight operations at Western Michigan University’s College of Aviation. He served as a commercial airline captain before going to law school and then serving as a law clerk at the Michigan Supreme Court and a federal prosecutor. He also taught at Western Michigan University’s Cooley Law School.  In 2018 he served as a consultant on higher education policy for then governor-elect Gretchen Whitmer’s transition team.

He earned his JD from Western Michigan University’s Cooley Law School.