FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Heritage University announces inauguration of Dr. Chris Gilmer as fourth president

Toppenish, Wash. – Heritage University is hosting the inauguration of Chris Gilmer, Ph.D. as its fourth president at its Toppenish campus on Friday, October 17, 2025. Doors open at 9:30 a.m., and the Installation Ceremony at Heritage will begin promptly at 10:00 a.m., followed by a reception at 12:00 p.m.

Inaugurations are as much of a celebration of the university and the communities they serve as they are of the incoming president. Dr. Gilmer joined Heritage University on July 1, 2025. He succeeded Dr. Andrew Sund who retired after serving as president for eight years. Gilmer has served as president of two Appalachian universities, West Virginia University at Parkersburg and West Virginia University Potomac State College. He has served as a faculty member and administrator at three Historically Black Colleges and Universities including Tougaloo College, in Jackson, Mississippi, where he was the Vice President for Strategic Initiatives and Social Justice and served on the college’s Board of Trustees. Gilmer has also served at one Hispanic-Serving Institution, Adams State University in Colorado, where he was Vice President for Academic Affairs. He is also the founder of the National Institutes for Historically- Underserved Students.

Dr. Gilmer received a bachelor’s degree in English/Journalism from the University of Southern Mississippi, a master’s degree in English from Mississippi College, and a Ph.D. in English from the University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg, MS. Gilmer and his spouse David live in Yakima, Wash.

The public is invited to attend Dr. Gilmer’s installation ceremony and reception and are encouraged to RSVP at heritage.edu/installation. For more information, please contact Davidson Mance, media relations coordinator at (509) 969-6084 or mance_d@heritage.edu.

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