Dr. Michelle R. Johnston Appointed First Female President of University of Montevallo

May 22, 2026

Dr. Michelle R. Johnston has been selected as the next president of the University of Montevallo after being approved by the UM Board of Trustees during a specially called meeting May 22. Johnston will be the first female president in the institution’s history.

Johnston has served as the president of Georgia Southwestern State University since 2024. Prior to her current presidency, she served as president of three other higher education institutions: the College of Coastal Georgia, the University of Rio Grande and Rio Grande Community College in Ohio. Her top priorities have been enhancing student success, ensuring excellence in all academic and student development programs and expanding strategic partnerships and donor engagement.

During her more than 30-year career in higher education, she has also served as a faculty member and in various administrative roles. Between 2007 and 2014, she served in various senior leadership roles at the University of Montevallo, including senior vice president for administrative affairs, vice president for institutional effectiveness and special assistant to the president for institutional research, planning and assessment. She was also an assistant professor of marketing and management.

In 2014, Johnston was appointed by the U.S. Secretary of Defense to the Marine Corps University Board, where she served two terms as the chair. She has been a leader at state and national levels on campus assault response and prevention, including invitations for meetings to discuss Title IX at the White House and with the U.S. Secretary of Education.

She is a Leadership Georgia alum and currently serves on the Phoebe Sumter Medical Center Board, the Sumter Strong Steering Committee, the Sumter County Chamber of Commerce Board and the Chattahoochee-Flint Regional Educational Service Agency (RESA) Board.

Johnston holds a bachelor’s degree in piano performance from The University of Alabama, a master’s degree in piano performance from Louisiana State University, a doctorate in educational leadership from Mississippi State University and a post-doctorate in marketing and management from the University of Florida.