The James Madison College Alumni Board of Directors has named Wendy F. Hensel, president of the University of Hawai'i and a 1992 graduate of the college, as the recipient of its 2026 Distinguished Alumni Award.
The Distinguished Alumni Award recognizes JMC graduates who have achieved prominence in their fields. It is one of two annual awards presented by the board, alongside the Honorary Alumni Award, which recognizes those who have significantly contributed to the progress and development of JMC.
Hensel earned her B.A. in American Public Affairs: Political Economy from JMC in 1992. As an undergraduate student, she was named a Harry S. Truman Scholar and recognized by Condé Nast as one of the Top Ten College Women in the United States in politics and national affairs. She also interned at the U.S. Supreme Court before completing her J.D. cum laude at Harvard Law School in 1995.
A legal scholar whose research focuses on disability law, policy and ethics, Hensel has spent more than three decades in higher education.
She joined the faculty of Georgia State University’s College of Law in 1999 and spent more than two decades there, eventually serving as Dean of the College of Law and then as Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs. As Provost, she led the university’s academic response to the COVID-19 pandemic, including the transition of nearly 11,000 courses to online instruction within two weeks.
In 2022, she became Executive Vice Chancellor and University Provost at the City University of New York (CUNY), overseeing academic strategy across a 25-campus system.
Hensel assumed the presidency of the University of Hawaiʻi system on Jan.1, 2025, leading the state’s sole public higher education system, with 10 campuses and more than 50,000 students. In 2025, she was appointed to the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education, representing Hawaiʻi on the 15-state regional compact.
Hensel’s scholarship has examined the rights of students with disabilities, the legal landscape for workers with autism and the allocation of medical resources during public health emergencies. She also serves on the board of Integrate, an organization that promotes inclusive employment for professionals with autism.
“As a legal scholar and as a university leader, Wendy Hensel has spent her career working at the intersection of law, policy and access,” said JMC Dean Cameron G. Thies. “That kind of cross-disciplinary public affairs work is exactly what the college was founded to cultivate, and her career is a powerful example of where a JMC education can lead.”
In notifying Hensel of the award, JMC Alumni Board of Directors President Ruju Bhatt Srivastava (IR '93) pointed to her leadership across three major public university systems, including her role in sustaining instruction during the pandemic.
“Over your illustrious career, you have demonstrated an unwavering commitment to improving public higher education, expanding opportunities and access for students and respecting and celebrating the diverse communities you have been a part of,” Srivastava wrote. “For your decades of steadfast leadership, scholarly contributions, and unwavering dedication to education and justice, you are richly deserving of the Distinguished Alumni Award.”
The JMC Distinguished Alumni Award has been awarded annually since 1997. Alumni and friends of the college are invited to nominate future recipients via Google Forms.