Biography

William S. Wainwright, Ph.D.
President, Southeastern Louisiana University

William S. Wainwright

Dr. William S. Wainwright is the 15th president of Southeastern Louisiana University, appointed by the Board of Supervisors of the University of Louisiana System on April 27, 2023. Prior to his time at Southeastern, Wainwright had accrued over 24 years of progressive leadership experience in higher education. Most recently, he served for 12 years as chancellor of Northshore Technical Community College (NTCC). During his tenure at NTCC, he helped lead exponential growth and success for the institution, expanding  campuses and tripling enrollment, causing NTCC to become one of the fastest growing community colleges in the nation.

Prior to NTCC, his positions included faculty member for Remington College; regional facilitator for Louisiana Technical College, Sullivan Campus; dean at Louisiana Technical College, Hammond Area Campus; dean of workforce development at Louisiana Technical College, Greater Capital Area District II; vice president of business development and training at Safety Council of the Louisiana Capital Area; chief executive officer of Delgado Community College; and more recently, interim chancellor at Delgado Community College.

Scholarly contributions have also been abundant and include presentations pertaining to higher education institutions’ strategy and success, which were given across both the state and the globe.

His formal education encompasses a bachelor of science in criminal justice from the University of Southwestern Louisiana, a master of education in adult and continuing education from Northwestern State University, and a doctorate of philosophy in higher education administration from the University of New Orleans.

In addition to being the recipient of numerous awards and honors, Wainwright has also been deeply involved in professional and community organizations, including having served on the boards of Workforce Investment Area 20; Washington Economic Development Foundation; Northshore Charter School Inc.; GNO, Inc; Northshore Business Council; St. Tammany West Chamber of Commerce; and Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady Health System. He is additionally the president of St. Tammany Corporation; former president of COMBASE, Conference of Louisiana Colleges and Universities, and Board of Family Promise of St. Tammany; and has served as chair of the Louisiana Community and Technical College System Finance and Administration Committee, Louisiana Community and Technical College System Advancement, Public Affairs, and Legislative Affairs Committee, and Louisiana Community and Technical College System Finance Committee.