PHILADELPHIA (August 27, 2025) — The University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education (Penn GSE) has named John Silvanus Wilson, Jr.—a nationally recognized leader in higher education—as the next executive director of the McGraw Center for Educational Leadership. Dean Katharine O. Strunk, the George and Diane Weiss Professor of Education, announced the appointment today, with Wilson set to begin his role on September 2, 2025.
Wilson’s role at the McGraw Center will leverage his deep expertise to advance the Center’s mission of cultivating visionary educational leaders. A Philadelphia native, Wilson returns to his hometown with decades of experience at the highest levels of academic leadership, public service, and institutional advancement. Most recently, Wilson helped establish the Open Leadership Project at MIT’s Media Lab. He has served as executive director of the White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities under President Barack Obama, president of Morehouse College, and senior adviser and strategist to two Harvard University Presidents. In 1985, his professional life began at the start of American higher education’s billion-dollar capital campaign era, and he spent 16 years as a successful fundraiser at MIT.
“The McGraw Center for Educational Leadership plays a vital role in bringing our strategic vision, Together for Good, to life,” said Strunk. “By welcoming Dr. Wilson, we are investing in leaders who can rise to the challenges of today and tomorrow—leaders who will collaborate across sectors, bridge research and practice, and advance education as a public good.”
“I am thrilled to welcome John Silvanus Wilson, Jr. to Penn GSE,” said L. Michael Golden, Vice Dean of Innovative Programs & Partnerships at Catalyst @ Penn GSE. “John brims with purpose and humility. He has offered a compelling and clear-eyed vision of what comes next for the McGraw Center. His leadership will ensure that the Center continues to be a place where exceptional leaders are prepared to transform education at every level.”
A Morehouse College graduate with three degrees from Harvard University, Wilson has long been recognized as an influential voice on the future of higher education—particularly the role of Historically Black Colleges and Universities in advancing democracy and opportunity. He is also widely recognized for his expertise in civic engagement, helping institutions connect more deeply with the communities they serve and strengthening education’s role in advancing democracy. He examined many of those issues in his 2023 book, published by the Harvard Education Press, Hope and Healing: Black Colleges and the Future of American Democracy. Also, as the Board Chairman of Campus, Wilson is now deeply involved in one of the most innovative efforts in the EdTech ecosystem.
In his new role, Wilson will guide the McGraw Center in expanding its reach, strengthening partnerships, and equipping the next generation of leaders with the skills, mindsets, and values needed to address today’s most pressing challenges in education.
About the McGraw Center for Educational Leadership
Established in 2022 with a $10 million gift from the Harold W. McGraw, Jr. Family Foundation, the McGraw Center for Educational Leadership at Penn GSE advances innovation in educational leadership across PreK–12, higher education, corporate learning, and the nonprofit sector. The Center’s signature programs include the Harold W. McGraw, Jr. Prize in Education and two longstanding Penn GSE initiatives—the Center for School Study Councils and the Coalition for Educational Excellence—anchoring it in decades of practitioner-informed leadership development. Part of Catalyst @ Penn GSE, the Center connects educators, researchers, policymakers, and leaders worldwide to drive systemic change and promote educational equity.
About Penn’s Graduate School of Education
Penn GSE is one of the world’s leading schools in education research and practitioner preparation. Penn GSE partners with schools, universities, and communities to expand educational access—especially for those underserved by society—and, through rigorous research and innovative programs, develops new knowledge and transformational teachers and leaders in pursuit of educational opportunity. Follow Penn GSE on Facebook, Instagram, X, and LinkedIn.
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