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, Ph.D., 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, and was formally inaugurated on April 26, 2024. He is the first Hispanic person to lead UMass Amherst.
Born and raised in Mexico, Reyes is an economist, scholar and leader who brings a lifelong commitment to the power of public higher education to fuel innovation, promote upward social mobility and strengthen communities. Throughout his career, Reyes has worked to close achievement and economic mobility gaps and expand opportunity for students of all backgrounds. He emphasizes student success, well-being and belonging as foundational to institutional excellence.
A champion of the ideals of a public land-grant university, Reyes has advocated for strengthening the impact that UMass Amherst makes across the commonwealth, the nation and the world. Under his leadership, UMass launched “Accelerate: The Campaign for UMass Amherst,” which exceeded its $600 million goal, including a $50 million gift establishing the Daniel J. Riccio Jr. College of Engineering. It is the largest gift in the university’s history. He has also overseen a number of capital improvements including the new 94,300-square-foot Computer Sciences Laboratories building, which is the first building on campus to earn LEED Platinum certification. In addition, Reyes launched a new Economic Development Initiative to promote economic growth across the region and state, partnered with the Amherst Survival Center to open an on-campus food pantry and established UMass Downtown to better connect the campus with the local community.
An accomplished economist and scholar, Reyes has contributed extensively to the fields of international economics, finance, globalization and economic development, including advancing research on international trade, financial networks, economic integration, monetary policy and exchange rates. His scholarship has helped advance understanding of global trade networks, international financial systems and economic development in an increasingly interconnected world. He has served as a National Science Foundation proposal reviewer, a visiting scholar at the International Monetary Fund and an academic scholar with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development in London.
Reyes is actively engaged in shaping the future of higher education. He has been appointed chair of the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) Commission on International Initiatives, where he collaborates with higher education leaders from across the nation to advance global engagement, international research partnerships, economic development and policies supporting international students and scholars. He has also served in leadership and advisory capacities with UPCEA, TIAA Diversity Council and the Association of Latino Professionals for America.
Reyes serves as second vice chair of the board of directors of the Western Massachusetts Economic Development Council, and is a member of the board of directors of the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce, where he helps to strengthen connections between higher education and industry and foster workforce development and economic growth. He has also served on the boards of major cultural, civic and corporate organizations, including the Field Museum, the National Museum of Mexican Art in Chicago, Miller Industries (NYSE: MLR) and City Holding Company (NASDAQ: CHCO).
Prior to joining UMass Amherst, Reyes held leadership positions at the University of Illinois Chicago, West Virginia University and the University of Arkansas. In 2026, he received the Premio Trayectoria EXATEC, one of the highest distinctions awarded by Tecnológico de Monterrey to alumni whose professional achievements have generated transformative impact in society. That same year, the Department of Economics at Texas A&M University named him the inaugural recipient of its Distinguished Former Graduate Student Award in recognition of his accomplishments in higher education and public service. His honors also include selection to the inaugural Amplify LatinX ALX100 list recognizing influential Latino leaders in Massachusetts, induction into the University of Arkansas Teaching Academy and recognition as a Northwest Arkansas Business Journal “40 Under 40” leader.
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.