Penny L. Elkins, Ph.D.
President, Mercer University
Penny L. Elkins, Ph.D., became Mercer University’s 19th president on January 1, 2026. She is the first Mercer graduate to lead the private, nationally ranked research university in nearly five decades, the first “Double Bear”— earning both undergraduate and graduate degrees from Mercer — to hold the role since the 1950s, and the first woman to serve as president in Mercer’s nearly 200-year history.
With a career in education spanning more than 30 years, President Elkins has built a reputation as a transformational leader and recognized expert in developing effective teams. She earned tenure and holds the academic rank of Professor in Mercer’s Tift College of Education, and in 2007, was appointed as the Fred L. Miles Endowed Chair of Educational Leadership.
Leading a New Chapter: President Penny L. Elkins, Ph.D., and her husband, Mercer’s First Gentleman, Jason Elkins, represent another historic first for the University. United by a shared passion for Mercer, Mr. Elkins is among the University’s most dedicated volunteers.
She has been a member of Mercer’s faculty and senior administration for 26 years, leading record growth in University enrollment across 12 colleges and schools and the creation of the first non-clinical Ph.D. program at Mercer.
Mercer University is accelerating its reach and student impact, fueled by more than $51 million annually in externally funded research, the expansion of cutting-edge programs and facilities, and its status as Georgia’s only private NCAA Division I athletics program. As a premier institution of choice across undergraduate, graduate, doctoral, and professional law and medical programs, and as the new statewide hub for the Georgia Aerospace & Defense Alliance, the University is building and shaping a bright future for Georgia and beyond under the visionary leadership of President Elkins.
