Dr. Judy Bonner

Dr. Judith L. Bonner is a retired educator who lives on the Alabama Gulf Coast in the community of Point Clear. Her professional career spanned more than 43-years in higher education. She retired in June 2019 as provost and executive vice president of Mississippi State University.

Dr. Bonner joined MSU in 2015 after a distinguished career as a longtime senior administrator and former president of the University of Alabama (UA). Upon assuming the role of UA’s 28th president, she also became the first woman to lead one of the 14 universities comprising the Southeastern Conference.

She received both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in human nutrition from UA in 1969 and 1973, respectively, and later earned a Ph.D. from Ohio State University in 1976. Her first academic appointment was at Ohio State, where she was a faculty member within the Department of Medical Dietetics. There, she taught pediatric nutrition and conducted research on the nutritional status of children with cystic fibrosis.

Her plans to retire following her career at UA were interrupted when her longtime friend and colleague, MSU President Mark Keenum, recruited her to Starkville to serve as provost and executive vice president at Mississippi State. Dr. Bonner quickly became an integral part of the Bulldog family, embracing the university’s Maroon and White traditions and energizing efforts to uphold its commitment to excellence. During her tenure, she was instrumental in many strategic achievements, including the establishment of the MSU Thrive Program, advancing MSU-Meridian, and enhancing MSU’s national reputation as one of the National Science Foundation’s Top 100 Research Institutions.