Penny Elkins ‘filled with gratitude’ after selection as Mercer’s new president
Elkins will become Mercer’s first female president when she succeeds William Underwood on Jan. 1, 2026.
MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) — Mercer University has selected Dr. Penny L. Elkins as its 19th president.
She will officially take over on January 1, 2026, succeeding Dr. William D. Underwood, who has led the university for nearly two decades.
The university’s Board of Trustees unanimously selected Dr. Elkins during a meeting on Mercer’s historic Penfield Campus in Greene County.
Dr. Elkins has been part of Mercer for more than 25 years. She currently serves as executive vice president and interim provost, is a tenured professor in the Tift College of Education and holds the Fred L. Miles Endowed Chair of Educational Leadership.
She will also be the first female president in the university’s 192-year history.
“I’m filled with gratitude for Mercer and all that Mercer has done for me,” she said. Friday. “And I’m so thrilled that I will have the opportunity to give back just a little bit of what Mercer has done in my life.”
Dr. Elkins says she is honored to lead Mercer and looks forward to continuing the university’s mission for students, faculty, staff and the community.
