Biography
Chancellor Javier Reyes is the 31st leader of the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
Born and raised in Mexico, he has devoted his career to the cause of public higher education. He is committed to advancing the transformative power of the university through inclusivity, scientific discovery, creative activity, community partnerships, and engagement.
An economist by training, Chancellor Reyes is passionate about the vital role of the flagship campus in fueling stewardship, innovation, entrepreneurship, and economic development across the commonwealth and beyond.
Prior to leading UMass Amherst, Chancellor Reyes held senior leadership positions at the University of Illinois Chicago, West Virginia University, and the University of Arkansas.
Javier A. Reyes, PhD, became the 31st leader of the University of Massachusetts Amherst on July 1, 2023, following his selection as chancellor by the UMass Board of Trustees. He was formally inaugurated on April 26, 2024.
Born and raised in Mexico, Reyes is an economist who has devoted his career to the cause of public higher education. He has held leadership positions at the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC), West Virginia University, and the University of Arkansas.
Before coming to UMass, Reyes served as interim chancellor of UIC, Chicago’s largest university campus, with more than 33,000 students and $440 million in research awards. Previously, he served as UIC’s provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs, joining the campus in 2021. Committed to the principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion, Reyes outlined a bold vision to address critical gaps in racial equity across the institution, with a specific focus on increasing Black student enrollment, retention, and graduation rates.
Reyes served as dean of West Virginia University’s John Chambers College of Business and Economics from 2016 to 2021 and vice president for StartUp West Virginia from 2018 to 2021. Under his leadership, the College of Business was named for former Cisco Systems CEO and alumnus John Chambers and focused on the growth of entrepreneurship, innovation, and experiential learning, with an emphasis on synergies with engineering and the health sciences. As dean, he built impactful corporate partnerships to strengthen student placement and serve West Virginia’s land-grant mission. He also spearheaded the transformation of the college into a pillar of inclusive entrepreneurship, innovation, and economic development for the university and the state.
Previously, Reyes served as vice provost for online and distance education at the University of Arkansas and as the associate dean for undergraduate studies and executive education in the Sam M. Walton College of Business. He initially joined the University of Arkansas in 2003 as an assistant professor of economics. He was promoted to associate professor with tenure in 2009 and to full professor in 2014.
Reyes has been a National Science Foundation proposal reviewer, invited lecturer, and visiting scholar at a number of institutions both domestically and internationally, including the Clinton School of Public Service and the International Monetary Fund. He also has served as an academic scholar in the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development in London, and as a research analyst for the investment firm Value Casa de Bolsa, headquartered in Mexico. He has served on the Board of Trustees and Directors for the Field Museum, the National Museum of Mexican Art in Chicago, Miller Industries (NYSE: MLR), and City Holding Company (NASDAQ: CHCO). He has also been involved at the national level with UPCEA, TIAA Diversity Council, and the Association of Latino Professionals for America.
Reyes received his bachelor’s degree in economics from the Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey, Campus Estado de Mexico, in 1998, and his doctorate in economics from Texas A&M University in 2003.
Chancellor Reyes became the 31st leader of the University of Massachusetts Amherst on July 1, 2023, following his selection by the UMass Board of Trustees. He was formally inaugurated on April 26, 2024.