Cheryl Harris Kisunzu, PhD, MSN, NP, RN
Interim President, Washington Adventist University
Dr. Cheryl Harris Kisunzu serves as Interim President of Washington Adventist University (WAU), bringing to the role a distinguished record of leadership, academic excellence, and service. Prior to her appointment as interim president, Dr. Kisunzu served for 13 years as Provost of Washington Adventist University, providing strategic leadership for the University’s academic enterprise and helping advance its commitment to student success, institutional excellence, and its Christ-centered mission.
A seasoned educator, administrator, and healthcare professional, Dr. Kisunzu earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Andrews University and completed her Master of Science in Nursing/Family Nurse Practitioner studies at Rush Presbyterian St. Luke’s University in Chicago. She earned her Ph.D. in Educational Leadership from Andrews University, with an emphasis on leading distinctive organizational change as defined by the Malcolm Baldrige Criteria for Performance Excellence.
Dr. Kisunzu is a certified Malcolm Baldrige Reviewer and has extensive experience in higher education accreditation and institutional effectiveness. She has served as an active reviewer for the Middle States Substantive Change Committee and as an accreditation site visitor and/or team lead for both the Middle States Commission on Higher Education and the Adventist Accrediting Association.
Her leadership philosophy is deeply rooted in faith, service, and a lifelong pursuit of distinctive excellence. Growing up in a small farming community in Southwest Georgia during the segregated South, Dr. Kisunzu was profoundly influenced by her Christian parents, both educators, whose visionary leadership and commitment to service helped shape her calling as an educator and leader.
As Interim President of Washington Adventist University, Dr. Kisunzu continues a legacy of servant leadership grounded in faith and a commitment to transforming lives through higher education. Her life and service reflect the enduring message of the spiritual that has long inspired her: when we help somebody as we travel along, our living will not be in vain.