Waded Cruzado

Waded Cruzado is Montana State University’s first female and Hispanic president. She works tirelessly for MSU with the wide range of university constituents including ranchers, local business owners, alumni, students, staff and faculty. She bravely occupies a position no other woman at MSU has yet held; she does this in such a way that it is easy to forget that she is often the only woman in the room. Her impact on women at the university was exemplified in 2016 when she charged the institution to spend all year thinking about diversity and inclusion. The resulting Diversity Framework is being used to guide the development of the new MSU strategic plan. In 2011, Cruzado formed the President's Commission on the Status of University Women at Montana State University. The 28-member commission was created to study, evaluate and advise the president on issues related to diversity and gender equity. She was also a co-PI on the ADVANCE Institutional Transformation grant, funded in 2012, that focused on transforming the culture of MSU to broaden the participation and success of women faculty in STEM. Cruzado leads with confidence and charisma.

President Waded Cruzado goes out of her way to make MSU a welcoming community for all.

Photo: MSU Communications