Dr. Barbara J. Wilson is the 22nd president of the University of Iowa. She earned a BA in journalism and MA and PhD degrees in communication arts from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She came to Iowa having served as the executive vice president/vice president for academic affairs of the University of Illinois System.

Prior to that, she served in several administrative positions, including interim chancellor, at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, where she was a member of the communication faculty for 21 years.