William C. Dudley
President, Claremont McKenna College

William C. (Will) Dudley became the sixth President of Claremont McKenna College on July 1, 2026.

Dudley came to Claremont McKenna from Washington and Lee University, where he served as the President from 2017 to 2026. He previously worked at Williams College, where he joined the philosophy department in 1998 and then served as the Provost from 2011 to 2016.

Dudley received his B.A. in mathematics and philosophy, magna cum laude, from Williams in 1989. He was captain of the water polo team, a member of the swim team, and the recipient of a Herchel Smith Fellowship to study at Cambridge University from 1989 to 1990. Dudley worked for global energy company AES from 1990 to 1992 before pursuing graduate studies at Northwestern University, where he earned an M.A. and a Ph.D. in philosophy.

He joined the Williams faculty in 1998, teaching courses on moral and political philosophy, metaphysics and epistemology, the philosophy and economics of higher education, and the spiritual significance of sports. Dudley also served as the Gaudino Scholar at Williams, a presidential appointment to encourage curricular innovation and experiential learning at the college.

Dudley’s scholarship focuses on 19th century German philosophy. He is the author of two books, “Understanding German Idealism” (2007) and “Hegel, Nietzsche and Philosophy: Thinking Freedom” (2002). Dudley is also the editor of volumes on Kant and Hegel and has published numerous scholarly articles. He received fellowships in support of his research from the American Council of Learned Societies and the Humboldt Foundation.

Starting in 2011, Dudley served as the provost at Williams, where he oversaw operations supporting the college’s academic mission, allocated budgets and positions, and undertook strategic initiatives. He supervised the directors of Admission, Financial Aid, the College Libraries, Information Technology, the Science Center, Institutional Research, the Williams College Museum of Art, and the Zilkha Center for Environmental Initiatives. He also established priorities for Teach It Forward: The Campaign for Williams, which was launched in October 2015 and raised more than $750 million.

As the president of Washington and Lee, Dudley initiated a comprehensive strategic planning process to set priorities for the university. The resulting plan helped the university attract highly qualified and increasingly diverse students, faculty, and staff. Washington and Lee also invested in interdisciplinary curricular programs, establishing new minors in data science, entrepreneurship, and legal studies. Capital projects included an Athletic Center, an academic building for the Williams School of Commerce, Economics, and Politics, a Teaching and Learning Center, and a complete renovation of the Student Center and dining hall.

The strategic plan was supported by the “Leading Lives of Consequence” campaign, which raised more than $600 million by the time of Dudley’s departure, including the largest gift in the university’s history, $132 million to endow financial aid and make Washington and Lee need-blind in admissions. While president, he also continued to teach seminars on virtue ethics and liberal arts education.

Dudley received a gubernatorial appointment to the board of trustees of the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts in 2010 and served a two-year term as the vice-chair. He is currently the chair of the board of the Annapolis Group of Liberal Arts Colleges and has also served on the boards of the Associated Colleges of the South and the Virginia Foundation for Independent Colleges.

Dudley is married to Dr. Carola Tanna, and is the father of two children, Cole and Ella.

Read about President Dudley’s CMC arrival and opening address from Convocation 2026.

Dr. Carola Tanna

Dr. Carola Tanna is a physician who grew up in Tennessee, New York, and Encinitas, Calif., before earning her bachelor’s degree, cum laude, in English and Biology from Williams College. After serving in the Jesuit Volunteer Corps and working in a hematology-oncology lab, she earned her M.D. at Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons with the support of a U.S. Navy Health Professions Scholarship.

She completed her internal medicine training at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., and then served an additional three years at Naval Hospital Great Lakes, Il., achieving the rank of Lieutenant Commander. She spent an additional 18 years as a primary care physician in Northern Illinois. Since 2015, she has served as a volunteer CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate for Children), providing support for children in the foster care system.

As a student on the Williams diving team, Carola met Will Dudley, who was a member of the swim and water polo teams. The two would go on to marry in Lexington, Va., in 2020. The mother of four children—Nicole, Christine, David, and Julia—Carola is an avid reader, loves to garden, has tried needlework of all kinds, and finds genealogy an engaging pastime. She has enjoyed having a close connection to the energy and excitement of a college campus and is looking forward to getting to know the CMC community.