WASHINGTON — Former U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services President Sylvia Matthews Burwell has been named next president of American University in Washington.
The school announced this week that the former President Barack Obama administration official will become the first woman to lead the school when she takes over on June 1.
The Hinton, West Virginia, native served as the health secretary from 2014 through the end of Obama’s second term last week. Prior to that, she was the director of the Office of Management and Budget.
Burwell will replace Neil Kerwin, who has served as president since 2007. She said in a statement that she is honored and excited to become part of the “vibrant AU community.”