Eduardo Peñalver will become the next president of Georgetown University on July 1.

Georgetown’s board of directors unanimously voted to name Peñalver as the 49th president of the university, according to a Wednesday news release .

He will take over for the interim president, Robert Groves, who stepped into the role when former President John DeGioia left the position to recover from a stroke in 2024. DeGioia lead the university for 23 years, making him the longest-serving president in Georgetown’s history.

Peñalver has overseen university operations in past roles. Since 2021, he has served as president of Seattle University, which is a Catholic, Jesuit institution like Georgetown.

He was the first layperson to lead Seattle University.

“At the center of our work, [Jesuit universit

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