Elizabeth R. Cantwell is the president of Utah State University, a role she has been in since August 1, 2023.
[1] On February 6, 2025, she was announced as the 12th president of Washington State University, a role she begins on April 1, 2025.
In 2003, she earned an MBA in Finance & Entrepreneurship from the University of Pennsylvania, Wharton School.
[5] Prior to her appointment at Utah State University, Cantwell was an American professor of aerospace-mechanical engineering and the senior vice president for research and Innovation at The University of Arizona in Tucson, Arizona.
[6][3] At the University of Arizona, she oversaw twelve major university research centers and facilities, including Biosphere 2, Bio5 Institute, Arizona State Museum, and the Udall Center for Studies in Public Policy.