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91���� President Gregory Washington leads Virginia's largest and most diverse public university, a top-tier research institution ranked among the top 35 public universities nationally by The Wall Street Journal and one that has rapidly emerged as a national leader in upward mobility for students of all backgrounds. 

Since Washington arrived at George Mason in 2020, the university has leapt more than 100 spots in The Wall Street Journal rankings and more than 40 spots in the U.S. News & World Report rankings. George Mason in 2025 was named a Higher Access, Higher Earnings university by the Carnegie Foundation and the American Council on Education. Under Washington’s leadership, George Mason became one of the 10 fastest-growing R1 universities in research expenditures and awards. In addition, U.S. News & World Report ranks George Mason as the top public university in Virginia for upward mobility. The Wall Street Journal ranks George Mason tops in the state for value, salary outcomes and upward mobility. 

Since launching his George Mason presidency in July 2020, Washington has formed new partnerships, created academic and entrepreneurial pathways, broken ground on or opened academic facilities on all three Virginia campuses across the university’s 848 acres, and has presided over the highest sponsored research expenditures in George Mason history. 

In 2025, Washington launched the Grand Challenge Initiative—a $15 million commitment over five years to tackle pressing global issues across education, climate resilience, digital innovation, human health and well-being, space exploration, and peace and democracy. Washington also was the first public university president in Virginia to hire a chief artificial intelligence officer to support university-wide AI initiatives. In 2023, Washington announced “Mason Now: Power the Possible,” a one-billion-dollar comprehensive campaign to support student success, research, innovation, community, and stewardship. Under Washington’s leadership, the in Manassas now anchors the first Innovation District in Northern Virginia.

Washington, the former engineering dean at Ohio State University (interim) and the University of California, Irvine, has strengthened George Mason’s commitment to access and opportunity by creating the  (MVP), a pathway to a George Mason degree or help, through , starting a business for any Virginian who aspires to either goal. MVP expands George Mason’s national award-winning with Northern Virginia Community College to select community colleges throughout the state. The Mason Virginia Promise Grant helps provide opportunities to students from low-income backgrounds. 

Under Washington, the university also has launched a direct admissions program and opened two lab schools by partnering with Virginia school divisions in Loudoun County and in the Shenandoah Valley. 

Washington, George Mason’s eighth president, established the to bring together industry, local government, K-12 education, and non-governmental organizations to form an innovation ecosystem with George Mason as its hub. On George Mason’s campus in Arlington, now known as , Washington marshaled the largest public-private partnership in George Mason’s history, . Fuse houses faculty and students and their research and industry partners, and graduate programs from the Long Nguyen and Kimmy Duong , the first of its kind in Virginia. George Mason also is a leader in Lab-to-Launch, a fast-track commercialization partnership with the five other R1 public universities in Virginia. To address the loss of government and federal contracting jobs, Washington directed the establishment of the Mason Career Academy in 2025, enabling displaced workers to upskill and reskill. Washington, named 2025 Educator of the Year by the Washington Business Journal, has established and expanded many partnerships for economic and social impact, including a partnership with Amazon and Amazon Web Services. EduRank in 2024 named George Mason the No. 1 public university for research performance in entrepreneurship, and No. 2 overall nationally. George Mason has helped Virginia be named the No. 1 state in the country for business and education by CNBC in 2024, and . 

In 2022 on the Fairfax Campus, George Mason established the first  in Virginia to meet the critical growing need for skilled, interdisciplinary health professionals and research across the state, and in 2023 the university opened the  to transform how artificial intelligence is taught and researched. In 2026, the university opened the to enhance student life on the Fairfax Campus. 

On the Science and Technology Campus, George Mason developed partnerships to simultaneously break ground on the , which opened in 2025, and the Innovation Town Center and University Village at Innovation projects. Washington’s Mason Innovation Commission convenes many of the university’s most forward-thinking faculty, staff, and administrators to conceive strategic recommendations. This effort served as a precursor to a university-wide strategic planning effort, culminating in the release of George Mason’s Strategic Direction, “,” in 2022. 

Washington, the first Black president in George Mason history, began his presidency during the pandemic. He guided what is now the 27th-largest employer in the Greater Washington region, as determined by the Washington Business Journal, through the public health crisis by implementing a safety plan that included surveillance testing and rapid-return saliva testing developed by George Mason faculty for quick identification and isolation of positive cases. George Mason was one of the first universities to offer COVID-19 antibody research screening for students, faculty, and staff. Washington also has significantly increased mental health resources for students, faculty, and staff, including a 24/7 service. 

Prior to coming to George Mason, Washington served for nine years as dean of the Henry Samueli School of Engineering at the University of California, Irvine. Among his achievements there were significantly expanding enrollment in the engineering school, hiring more faculty and administrators from underrepresented groups, and implementing STEM outreach programs with the greater community. 

Washington launched his academic career in 1995 as an assistant professor in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering in the College of Engineering at Ohio State University. He became an associate professor in 2000 and a professor in 2004, earning several teaching awards. Washington began serving as the associate dean for research in 2005 and from 2008 to 2011 served as interim dean of the Ohio State engineering school, one of the largest in the country. 

An accomplished researcher, Washington specializes in dynamic systems, with an emphasis in the modeling and control of smart material structures and systems. He has conducted research for the National Science Foundation (NSF), NASA, General Motors, the Air Force Research Laboratory, and the U.S. Army Research Office, among others. 

In fall 2023, Washington was inducted into the National Academy of Engineering. 

Washington’s current board service includes S&P Global, Internet2, Engineering Science Research Foundation, Virginia Business Higher Education Council, Consortium of Universities of the Washington Metropolitan Area, Northern Virginia Technology Council, Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce, and Washington Gas. Previous board service includes the U.S. Air Force Scientific Advisory Board, NSF Engineering Advisory Committee, and the Institute for Defense Analyses. 

A first-generation college graduate, Washington is a New York City native who attended high school in North Carolina. He earned bachelor’s (1989) and master’s degrees (1991) and his PhD (1994), all in mechanical engineering, at North Carolina State University. Washington also hosts George Mason’s “Access to Excellence” podcast.