Dr. Damián J. Fernández, President
Damián J. Fernández is the 10th president of Warren Wilson College. A Cuban immigrant who grew up in Puerto Rico and a first-generation college student, Fernández has more than 30 years of experience in teaching and leadership positions at both private and public institutions.
In his first six months at Warren Wilson Fernández launched The Progressive Promise for All, a vision combining the College’s founding values with academic and student engagement innovations to maximize student outcomes for the 21st Century. Warren Wilson now promises hands-on, community-engaged courses, professional experiences in our Work Program, research, and an internship for every student in every major. This vision for the future has led to $20 million in gifts in just 18 months, including the largest in the College’s history—$10 million. Other initiatives include the launch of a Masters in Applied Climate Studies, a new Animal Science major, the Nielsen Student Scholars in the Humanities, and partnerships that will preserve in perpetuity 780 acres of campus land in the Blue Ridge Mountains and yield $10 million. The renewal of Warren Wilson College is redefining the business model for liberal arts colleges.
Fernández received his bachelor’s degree from the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University, master’s degree in Latin American Studies from the University of Florida, and Ph.D. in International Relations from the University of Miami. He is the author of the book “Cuba and the Politics of Passion.” Fernández has served as vice provost at Florida International University, vice president for academic affairs at the State University of New York at Purchase, CEO and head of school of Ethical Culture Fieldston School, and chancellor of Penn State Abington. He served as President of Eckerd College before joining Warren Wilson College as its President on June 1, 2023.
He serves on the boards of the Charlotte W. Newcombe Foundation and the American Academic Leadership Institute/Academic Search and is a member of the Council on Independent Colleges Alliance for Strategic Innovation.
