Cooley Graduate Russ Kavalhuna, J.D., Appointed as President of Western Michigan University

On July 1, Russ Kavalhuna, J.D. (Gerald W. Boston Class, 2007), will take the reins as Western Michigan University’s (WMU) president. He will fill the position being vacated by Dr. Edward Montgomery who is retiring. Kavalhuna will be WMU’s 10th president and is currently president at Henry Ford College (HFC). He earned his bachelor's degree in aviation science from WMU and juris doctorate from Cooley Law School. He and his wife, Courtney, have two children.

As president of HFC since 2018, Kavalhuna has led the more than 11,000-student institution in Dearborn, Michigan, to achieve enrollment growth along with increased retention and graduation rates. Prior to his appointment as the college’s president, he was executive director of flight operations at WMU’s College of Aviation, a role Kavalhuna assumed after serving as a federal prosecutor, a Michigan Supreme Court law clerk and, before that, as a commercial airline captain.

In a statement released by WMU, Kavalhuna said, “I am deeply grateful, humbled and honored to serve as the next president of Western Michigan University. This work is personal to me. Kalamazoo and WMU are where my journey began—not only as a student but later in the classroom. My academic heart will always reside here.”

In 2021, Kavalhuna was keynote speaker at Cooley Law School’s commencement. During his remarks spoke about his work in the legal field. “A profound truth snuck up on me. It was that I was carrying this awesome responsibility of representing someone else, something bigger than me. It was the institution I was serving and it was the people who we served, and you will soon enjoy this truth.”

Talking about his time as a law student at WMU-Cooley, while also working as an airline pilot, Kavalhuna said, “I did three years of weekend classes, year around. Those three-hour sessions, back to back, on the weekend, they were rough.”

While sharing how his law school experience helped him through life and his career, he said, “I’m sure all of you have stories about how law school was a struggle, but that is good. It is that, the struggle, in that you learn one thing, Cooley might be the best in the country at teaching. It teaches you in life and in practice that you are going to have to make your own breaks. Like your time at Cooley, you have to grind and hustle, earn some respect and use all of the luck that comes your way. Your success is your own to make.”

The Cooley Law School family congratulates Russ Kavalhuna on his appointment as president of WMU.

Courtesy Photo: Henry Ford College