Seattle University is breaking a long tradition by naming Dr. Maura B. Mast as its 23rd president, and its first woman leader. The Jesuit institution says she will step into the role on Sept. 1, 2026, following a nationwide search and a unanimous vote by the university's Board of Trustees.
The university announced the hire in a release first reported by KING 5, which noted the trustees' unanimous decision. She will follow Eduardo Peñalver, who stepped down to become president of Georgetown University after nearly five years at the helm of Seattle U, according to Georgetown University.
From mathematician to dean
Mast comes to the job with deep academic roots in mathematics. She earned a Ph.D. in mathematics from the University of North Carolina and completed undergraduate degrees in both mathematics and anthropology at the University of Notre Dame. Her faculty career has included tenured posts at the University of Massachusetts Boston and the University of Northern Iowa, and she later moved into leadership as dean of Fordham College at Rose Hill. There, she became the first woman and the first mathematician to serve in that role, as outlined by Fordham University.
Scholarship and student-focused work
Mast's scholarly work focuses on differential geometry and quantitative literacy, alongside efforts to open up math to more undergraduates. She co-authored the textbook "Common Sense Mathematics," and her contributions to quantitative reasoning and her support for women in mathematics have been documented in MAA/AMS listings and recognized by the Association for Women in Mathematics.
Why the hire matters here
Seattle U's decision adds another entry to a recent run of leadership milestones in the region. Washington State University, for instance, named Elizabeth Cantwell president in 2025. Mast's appointment marks a notable first for a Jesuit campus in Seattle and places a mathematician with extensive curricular and administrative experience at the center of the university's next chapter.
"Our world urgently needs spaces of dialogue and discernment that actively work to heal deep divisions and build a more equitable society," Mast said in the university release, per KING 5. Seattle University said a formal inauguration date will be announced, and Mast is set to officially begin her duties on Sept. 1, 2026.
