King University in Bristol, Tennessee, has named Rome native Alexander Whitaker as its 23rd president. Whitaker currently serves as chief of staff at Berry College and secretary to the Board of Trustees.
King, founded in 1867 as King College, is a Presbyterian, doctoral-level comprehensive university with more than 2,700 students on multiple campuses. Whitaker will begin his service Aug. 1.
“We are pleased to welcome Mr. Whitaker to the King University family,” said Warren Payne, chair of King University’s Board of Trustees. “He was the top candidate in an unbelievably qualified pool of applicants, and he brings with him a deep understanding of the challenges and opportunities facing institutions like King University. His skills and experience will be a tremendous asset, and we are excited about the future of King University under his leadership as president.”
Whitaker, an attorney, is in his tenth year at Berry. He returned to Berry, his undergraduate alma mater, after a 25-year Navy career. A member of Berry’s executive leadership team and an officer of the college, his duties include working closely with Berry’s governing and advisory boards, as well as oversight of Berry’s public relations, religious life, and historic assets. He began his work at Berry as assistant vice president for major gifts and has continued fundraising work as chief of staff.
“Whit Whitaker has been an integral part of the president’s office at Berry for nearly a decade," said Berry College President Steve Briggs. "He has a deep understanding of how the college operates and has helped review and shape many key policies. His breadth of experience, eye for strategy and ability to analyze challenging issues will serve King University well in the years to come. The community at King will also enjoy Whit’s keen wit and love of place.”
Whitaker is the second senior leader at Berry this year to be selected as a college president. Provost Kathy Richardson will begin her presidency of Westminster College in Pennsylvania on July 1. Whitaker will be the only Berry College alumnus serving as a university president.
“I am deeply honored to be selected to lead such a venerable institution as King University, just as it approaches its 150th year,” Whitaker said. “The challenges facing all of higher education, and perhaps especially intentionally Christian colleges, are great ones. King is poised to do well in this new environment, and I am proud to have this opportunity to work hard alongside the university’s very dedicated trustees, faculty, staff, students and alumni to ensure King’s success in the years ahead.”
Georgia Governor Nathan Deal in 2014 appointed Whitaker to the Georgia Nonpublic Postsecondary Education Commission.
“We are grateful for the many contributions Commissioner Whitaker has made to NPEC and I congratulate King University on selecting such an accomplished Georgian as their next president,” Governor Deal said. Whitaker has also served on Congressman Tom Graves’ service academy selection committee.
Most of his Navy career was in the Judge Advocate General’s Corps, the service’s legal arm, where his career was mainly focused on litigation and international law, with sea duty and shore tours on both U.S. coasts, Washington D.C., and overseas in Scotland, London and Japan. His final tours were as Deputy Assistant Judge Advocate General for general civil litigation in D.C. and then as commanding officer of the Navy’s southeast legal services command. A captain when he retired, he received numerous military decorations, including twice the Legion of Merit and four times the Meritorious Service Medal.
A member of the Georgia and Virginia State Bars, Whitaker earned his Juris Doctor from the University of Virginia and a Master of Laws in international and comparative law from Georgetown University. He has a Master of Arts in Religion from Trinity School for Ministry, an Anglican and Episcopal seminary in Pennsylvania, where he serves as trustee. He is completing further doctoral work at Duke Divinity School.
In Rome, Whitaker has served as a board member for SunTrust of Northwest Georgia, Mercy Senior Care and the William S. Davies Homeless Shelter, where he was president and chairman. He is an alumnus of Darlington School. He is a member of the Rome Rotary Club. A founding member of St. Andrew’s Anglican Church, he has also been the chancellor (chief counsel) for the Anglican Diocese of the South.
He is married to the former Maria Ellen Crego and they have three grown children: a daughter who is a Lynchburg, Virginia attorney and two sons who are software engineers in Seattle and Chicago.
###
Written by Public Relations
