WORCESTER, Mass. - Worcester Polytechnic Institute names its 17th president, Grace Wang.

Wang spent Monday meeting with faculty, students and staff and she also visited the university’s new Center for Well-Being. Wang most recently served as executive vice president for research, innovation, and knowledge at the Ohio State University, after serving with the State University of New York system and the National Science Foundation.

Wang said she's excited to work with the WPI community.

"My plan right now, is I will take vacation time every month to come over here and visit with WPI and start listening tours and engage with our student, faculty, and staff” Wang said. “And our leadership team, our board of trustees and also our legislators and the local officials and the state officials and start a conversation to get me educated and learn more about WPI and Worcester and the state of Massachusetts."

Wang will assume the presidency on April 3, 2023. She succeeds Laurie Leshin, who served as WPI president for eight years before joining NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory as its director in May.