President

Dr. Kimo Ah Yun is the first person of color to lead Marquette and the Catholic, Jesuit university’s second lay president in its 143-year history. He joined Marquette in 2016 as dean of the Diederich College of Communication, was named acting provost in 2018 and then permanent provost and executive vice president for academic affairs in 2019. A first-generation college student, President Ah Yun is committed to furthering the university’s mission of educational access and ensuring all students are successful from their first day to their first destination following graduation.

Prior to joining Marquette University, President Ah Yun was associate dean of the College of Arts and Letters at California State University, Sacramento, where he also served as chair of the department of communication studies, director of the Center for Teaching and Learning, and professor of communication studies. During his 20-year tenure at Sacramento State, he co-chaired the President’s Committee to Build Campus Unity, which programmed and executed campuswide conversations on topics such as discrimination, identity and privilege. 

An accomplished scholar and teacher, President Ah Yun has received awards from California State University, Sacramento, and the International Communication Association. His work has been published in leading communication and teaching journals and his research has been supported with grants from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Wisconsin Department of Health Services, California Criminal Justice Cabinet, California Department of Transportation and the Kaiser Family Foundation. 

President Ah Yun earned his bachelor’s degree in communication studies from California State University, Sacramento, master’s degree in speech from Kansas State University, and a Ph.D. in communication from Michigan State University. 

Julie Filizetti and Phillip Petree led this search with Rafael Escobedo and Katie Pusecker-Kilcawley.