Dr. Marilyn J. Wells began her tenure as Regional Chancellor for Penn State Brandywine, Penn State Mont Alto, and Penn State York on July 1, 2024.
Dr. Marilyn J. Wells began her tenure as Regional Chancellor for Penn State Brandywine, Penn State Mont Alto, and Penn State York on July 1, 2024. Wells is a strategic and visionary leader who is bold, and people centered, with a sense of humor.
“I am honored to lead Penn State Mont Alto as its next Chancellor,” says Wells. “I am exhilarated by the campus’ rich and unique story for over 120 years, respected and kept alive in today’s welcoming spaces and technology-rich facilities. Mont Alto’s academic programs, interdisciplinary research, and community outreach, especially in Allied Health and the Natural Sciences as well as Business, are making a difference! I look forward to working with the entire campus community - students, faculty, staff, alumni, business leaders, community members - to contribute to growth and wellbeing, locally and globally. That is our Penn State land-grant mission.”
Prior to her appointment as Regional Chancellor, Wells served as Chancellor at Penn State Brandywine from 2020 to 2024 where she led to achieve numerous accomplishments in strategic planning; academic and research excellence; faculty and staff development; student engagement and success; diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging; community and corporate relations; and philanthropy with impact.
Wells’ career in higher education has spanned executive leadership and faculty positions in land-grant, regional-comprehensive, and private universities, including a historically black university, and community colleges across eight states. Wells is unique in that her career in higher education has been augmented by posts in private sector business in the hospitality and healthcare industries, and in state government in public health in Pennsylvania and Alabama.
Throughout her career, Wells has received more than $2 million in external grants and sponsorships to support research and projects to advance health policy and promotion. Wells research and demonstration projects have resulted in numerous professional publications, presentations, and awards. Most recently, Wells was selected to receive The Educational Policy and Leadership Center’s 2024 Alumni Award for outstanding achievements and service to education.
In her personal life, Dr. Wells’ pride and joy are her young adult son and daughter, Thomas and Michelle, and her partner, Roy. She enjoys swimming, creative pursuits, museums, and the arts and sports. One fun fact, Marilyn once went skydiving with the US Army’s Golden Knights.
Marilyn earned her BS in Home Economics Education from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, her Master of Public Health and a MS in Health Education from East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania, and her PhD in Health Education with a cognate in Statistics from Southern Illinois University, Carbondale.