Aaron A. Walton

President Aaron A. Walton, a proven, results-driven leader with 40 years of experience in corporate-level management, was appointed as Cheyney University of Pennsylvania’s Interim President on May 31, 2017. Because of the unprecedented progress he spearheaded during his first five months, the Board of Governors of Pennsylvania's State System of Higher Education (PASSHE) elected President Walton as permanent President on November 13, 2017. 

President Walton is a fearless champion for Cheyney University and its students. He brings expertise in strategic planning and organizational turnarounds and has addressed the University’s challenges head-on while leading the effort to define a new trajectory for the University. In his inaugural address to Cheyney’s faculty and staff in June 2017, President Walton outlined a clear vision for the University — to produce students who excel in academics, character, and social responsibility. Through the University’s strategic planning process, these three pillars ultimately became the foundation of Cheyney’s new Vision to be known as the premier educational model for academic excellence, character development, and social responsibility.

A former Senior Vice President of Highmark, Inc., one of the nation’s leading healthcare providers, President Walton was one of nine principal officers responsible for providing overall management and direction of all corporate activities nationally. During his tenure at Highmark, he established and implemented a number of strategic healthcare initiatives that yielded community and company-wide growth and advancement, including an award-winning program that was one of the first programs in America to address childhood obesity and bullying. He was also instrumental in establishing the Children’s Health Insurance Program, better known as C.H.I.P, which has become a national model.

While a senior executive at Highmark, and in his subsequent retirement, he served as Vice Chair of the PASSHE Board of Governors, where he was also Chair of Academic & Student Affairs, and Chair of Human Resources. President Walton was also a longtime member of California University of Pennsylvania’s Council of Trustees, and chair from 1999 to 2003.

Prior to being tapped to lead Cheyney University, President Walton served as co-chair of the Cheyney Task Force appointed by the Board of Governors. The Task Force developed and approved a “conceptual framework” for a new business model for Cheyney which included the creation of the Institute For The Contemporary African American Experience (ICAAE). On July 31, 2018, Governor Tom Wolf joined President Walton and other officials on Cheyney’s campus to announce the official launch of the ICAAE.