Willamette University President Stephen Thorsett was selected one of Portland Business Journal's Executives of the Year for 2025, in recognition of his transformative leadership in higher education and contributions to Oregon's academic landscape.
An internationally acclaimed astrophysicist raised in Salem, Thorsett has leveraged his academic experience and expertise to drive innovation and growth at Willamette since becoming its 20th president in 2011. His recent achievements include the launch of the university's new Graduate & Professional Center in northwest Portland, a strategic expansion focused on business management, computing, and data science education.
Willamette’s growing Portland presence — which expanded with the 2021 merger with the Pacific Northwest College of Art in Old Town — complements its flagship campus in Salem featuring an undergraduate college, a top-ranked school of business and management, and the state’s oldest law school. Under Thorsett's leadership, Willamette has successfully expanded its curriculum to better serve the evolving workforce needs of the Pacific Northwest — notably including the 2023 founding of the School of Computing & Information Sciences, home of the Pacific Northwest’s #1 Master’s of Data Science program.
Thorsett points to Mark Hatfield BA’43 as his business role model. A Willamette University alumnus, faculty member, and administrator, and then Oregon legislator, governor, and senator; Hatfield embodied the university’s motto: Not unto ourselves alone are we born.
“In every role in his distinguished career, Mark Hatfield carried Willamette’s spirit of service with him, and demonstrated daily that true success lies in using our skills and knowledge to serve others. This principle is at the heart of Willamette's identity,” said Thorsett. “It is the thread that connects our community and what gives me purpose.”
