Wake Forest appointed Brian White as the university’s vice president, general counsel and corporate secretary, announced in an email sent by Wake Forest President Dr.  Susan R. Wente on May 4. Currently serving as the University of Kansas’ vice chancellor for legal affairs and general counsel, White will begin his term at Wake Forest on July 1. 

Succeeding J. Reid Morgan, who will retire on June 30, White will serve as Wake Forest’s principal legal officer — advising the University through “significant legal matters.” His role as general counsel also requires him to offer guidance regarding “legal matters related to Wake Forest University Health Sciences, the School of Medicine and Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center.”

With more than 20 years of legal and leadership experience, White has worked with multiple academic medical centers and universities — including the University of Connecticut, the University of Wisconsin, the University of Iowa and the University of Kansas. Additionally, White was an associate for the Boundas, Skarzynski, Walsh and Black law firm in Chicago. 

“Brian is an exceptionally accomplished attorney who is deeply committed to higher education and well-known for his integrity and strategic thinking,” Wente said in a press release. “His significant experience successfully navigating complex legal matters for universities and medical centers made him an excellent fit for this role, and I am pleased to welcome Brian to the Wake Forest community.”

White was chosen for office through a national search process spearheaded by Wake Forest’s University search committee in collaboration with legal search firm Major, Lindsey & Africa. 

“I am incredibly honored by the opportunity to join Wake Forest University,” White said in the press release. “I am excited to work with President Wente and the rest of her leadership team, and I look forward to the months ahead where I can begin meeting and collaborating with the entire Wake Forest family.”l