President’s Profile

William C. Dudley
President, Claremont McKenna College

William C. (Will) Dudley became the sixth President of Claremont McKenna College on July 1, 2026. 
Dudley came to Claremont McKenna from Washington and Lee University, where he served as the President from 2017 to 2026. He previously worked at Williams College, where he joined the philosophy department in 1998 and then served as the Provost from 2011-2016. 

A native of Arlington, Virginia, Dudley received his B.A. in mathematics and philosophy, magna cum laude, from Williams in 1989, and his M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in philosophy from Northwestern University. As an undergraduate at Williams, Dudley was captain of the water polo team and a member of the swim team. After college, he received a fellowship to study philosophy at Cambridge University and then worked in energy finance for AES Corporation before pursuing his graduate studies at Northwestern. Dudley is currently the chair of the board of the Annapolis Group of Liberal Arts Colleges. 

He is married to Dr. Carola Tanna, and is the father of two children, Cole and Ella.

Read more about President Dudley’s arrival at CMC.

Dr. Carola Tanna

Dr. Carola Tanna is a physician who grew up in Tennessee, New York, and Encinitas, Calif., before earning her bachelor’s degree, cum laude, in English and Biology from Williams College. After serving in the Jesuit Volunteer Corps and working in a hematology-oncology lab, she earned her M.D. at Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons with the support of a U.S. Navy Health Professions Scholarship.

She completed her internal medicine training at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., and then served an additional three years at Naval Hospital Great Lakes, Il., achieving the rank of Lieutenant Commander. She spent an additional 18 years as a primary care physician in Northern Illinois. Since 2015, she has served as a volunteer CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate for Children), providing support for children in the foster care system.

As a student on the Williams diving team, Carola met Will Dudley, who was a member of the swim and water polo teams. The two would go on to marry in Lexington, Va., in 2020. The mother of four children—Nicole, Christine, David, and Julia—Carola is an avid reader, loves to garden, has tried needlework of all kinds, and finds genealogy an engaging pastime. She has enjoyed having a close connection to the energy and excitement of a college campus and is looking forward to getting to know the CMC community.