BATON ROUGE, LA – The Board of Supervisors of the University of Louisiana System’s Executive Committee has appointed Dr. Connie Walton as interim president of Grambling State University during their meeting on January 4, 2023. Dr. Walton currently serves as the institution’s provost and vice president for academic affairs and has worked at Grambling for nearly eight years. She earned her Ph.D. from the University of Southern Mississippi.

“My life is a testimony to the impact that this university can have on a student’s life. I knew as an undergraduate student at Grambling State University that I wanted to come back and be a part of the faculty,” said Dr. Walton. “This appointment provides an additional way to serve this great institution and help shape the lives of students. When the next president of Grambling State University is identified, I look forward to supporting that person’s strategic goals.”

UL System President and CEO Rick Gallot served as president of Grambling State for seven years before the Board named him System president at its October 2023 meeting. He chairs the search committee charged with finding the institution’s next leader.

“I am supremely confident that Grambling will be well cared for under Dr. Walton’s interim leadership,” said Gallot. “She has proven her dedication to the institution and its success through her commitment to advancing cybersecurity and nursing programs, both of which is now soaring, and I know she will bring that same determination to the interim presidency.”

Dr. Walton’s appointment is subject to ratification by the full Board of Supervisors at its February meeting.

All information regarding the Grambling State Presidential Search can be found at www.ulsystem.edu/gramblingsearch.

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