Biography

Jennifer L. Mnookin is the 30th leader in the University of Wisconsin–Madison’s 177-year history, and one of the nation’s top legal scholars.  

Chancellor Mnookin is dedicated to pushing boundaries to bring the university to new levels of excellence in research and education, and to energizing and expanding the Wisconsin Idea, UW–Madison’s commitment to innovating for the public good.   

She has grown educational opportunities and research at UW–Madison around significant, complex challenges affecting Wisconsin and the world, and inaugurated a program to advance civil dialogue and cultivate a community where diverse viewpoints are expected and respected.  And her commitment to increasing access to the university, including through Bucky’s Pell Pathway and Bucky’s Tuition Promise, has significantly expanded the number of students receiving funding to cover their full financial need.  

During Chancellor Mnookin’s tenure, the university has risen in the rankings to become the #12 best public university in the nation according to U.S. News & World Report, and the #2 best public according to TIME magazine. 

Prior to coming to Wisconsin, she served as dean of the UCLA School of Law, where she spent 17 years on the faculty. Before that, she was a professor of law at the University of Virginia School of Law and a visiting professor of law at Harvard Law School.  

Chancellor Mnookin is a nationally recognized scholar on the intersection of law and science, and recently co-chaired an expert report on facial recognition technologies for the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine.  

She received her AB from Harvard University, her JD from Yale Law School, a PhD in history and social study of science and technology from MIT, and is an elected member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. 

She and her husband, political scientist Joshua Foa Dienstag, have two adult children.

Biography

Jeeva Premkumar was born in the Democratic Republic of Congo, grew up in Kenya, and finished high school in India — learning four languages on his way to Madison to pursue a passion for engineering and scientific research.

Premkumar is graduating with a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering. Supported by the American Heart Association fellowship, he worked in the Kamp Lab at UW–Madison using stem cells to study the structure and function of heart tissue. He also held internships with Moderna, contributing to research on new drug-delivery methods, and with Lactalis Heritage Dairy, where he worked on utility plant upgrade projects.

This year, he was awarded one of 10 Wisconsin Idea Fellowships for his project to expand educational access to children affected by war in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Premkumar has also served as a member of the International Student Advisory Board, giving his fellow students a voice in the office of International Student Services and instilling cultural curiosity across campus. He represents the College of Engineering on the Associated Students of Madison’s Student Council.

Biography

It’s not often that you find an engineer, athlete, musician, and a former Miss America all in one. But that’s Badger alumna Grace (Stanke) Vanderhei.

A Wausau native, Vanderhei won the title of Miss Wisconsin in June 2022 and was crowned Miss America that December. While serving as Miss America 2023, Vanderhei was featured as the “New Face of Nuclear Energy” by the Wall Street Journal, and in 2024, she made the Forbes “30 under 30” list for Energy. Through her tenure as Miss America, she spoke in twenty-six states and eight nations, all while finishing her undergraduate degree in nuclear engineering at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.

Vanderhei now works as a nuclear fuels engineer and clean energy advocate at Constellation, a leading supplier of energy products and services, where she supports the operation of 12 nuclear power plants, with a focus on the reactor fuel core design. She creates social media content, participates in public engagements, and hosts educational workshops to emphasize the benefits of nuclear energy while inspiring the next generation of scientists, engineers, and mathematicians. She is also pursuing a master of business administration (MBA) degree at Arizona State University. Vanderhei serves on the board of directors of the American Nuclear Society.

Outside the nuclear industry, Vanderhei is an avid water-skier, classical violinist, and travel enthusiast. During the competition where she was crowned Miss America — making her only the third person from Wisconsin to earn that title — she also won the Preliminary Night 2 and took home the top talent award for her violin performance of Vivaldi’s “Storm.”

According to Vanderhei, “I’m not looking to change the entire world on my own — all I need to do is make the one connection that will start a chain reaction.”

Biography

Kyle Weatherly, a two-time Badger, is the president of Alta Medical and the vice president of the Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System.

Weatherly co-founded Alta Medical in Milwaukee in 2022 with his mother, Kathy Weatherly, a former occupational therapist. The family-owned company manufactures medical compression devices. Prior to starting Alta Medical, Weatherly was the founding CEO of Frontdesk, a short-term housing provider, and the president of Solaris Medical, a medical device company.

Weatherly earned a bachelor’s degree in political science and history from UW–Madison in 2004 and a master of public affairs degree in public management from UW–Madison in 2006. Between degrees, he worked for Habitat for Humanity, first in South Los Angeles as an AmeriCorps volunteer and later in Madison as a staff member.

Weatherly joined the Board of Regents in May 2020. He and his wife, Ruthie, live on Milwaukee’s Lower East Side.

Biography

John Zumbrunnen began serving as UW–Madison’s provost and executive vice chancellor for academic affairs in March 2026 after serving as interim provost since June 2025. During his time at UW, Zumbrunnen has held a variety of academic and administrative leadership positions. Most recently, he served as senior vice provost for academic affairs and vice provost for teaching and learning, overseeing and helping to found the Division for Teaching and Learning. 

Zumbrunnen is a professor of political science. He studies the history of political thought, democratic theory, and American political thought with a particular interest in the challenges and possibilities of democratic citizenship. He has published two books, along with articles in top journals including American Political Science Review and Political Theory. 

Zumbrunnen has long been passionate about teaching and about students’ educational journeys. He previously served as an Educational Innovation Senior Fellow and as faculty director of Chadbourne Residential College. He is a recipient of the Chancellor’s Distinguished Teaching Award, the Phi Beta Kappa Excellence in Teaching Award, and the Alliant Energy Underkofler Excellence in Teaching Award, among others.