While Gaylah Sublette was steadily climbing the ladder of higher education leadership at A.T. Still University (ATSU) in Kirksville, Missouri, the nation’s first-ever college of osteopathic medicine, she realized the value of continuing her own education.

“Working in higher education, I realized how important continuing to gain education would be for future promotion and advancement in my career,” said Sublette. “As I looked around, William Woods University was by far the best selection for me. I knew many people in the area who had gone through the same program at William Woods, and they were people who I admired. William Woods has really helped get me where I am today.”

And where Sublette is today is President of A.T. Still’s prestigious campus in Kirksville, after she was promoted from Interim President on July 10, 2025. And as a graduate of WWU who received her Masters of Business Administration from The Woods in 2004, she becomes the third William Woods alumnus since March 2024 to become president of a college or university, following Dr. Aimee Sapp (Meredith College in North Carolina) and current WWU President Romaine Seguin.

 “That is amazing, and I do not think it is by coincidence,” said Sublette, a Hannibal native who served as Vice Chancellor of Research and Grants at ATSU before becoming president. “William Woods has really keyed in on developing professionals that can lead and go all the way to the top. I think it says a lot about the university’s quality, and the kind of student that attends and graduates from William Woods University.”

Sublette has dedicated her professional life towards advancing ATSU, instrumental in advancing the research, compliance, and strategic planning initiatives across the university during her 38 years there. She led the development of ATSU’s centralized Sponsored Programs office and helped secure more than $100 million in external funding, while providing executive leadership to the university’s Missouri-based locations.

Her experience with William Woods certainly played a role in her impressive ascension.

“William Woods had a local cohort in Kirksville for its graduate education, which allowed me to pursue my graduate degree while continuing to work full-time at A.T. Still,” Sublette remembered. “I learned so much in the cohort I was in, and it really helped change the trajectory of my career and allowed me to accept the position that I am in today.”

“I just really enjoyed the dynamic education that William Woods offered in its MBA program,” she continued. “It really provided me with a strong foundation in financial and business management, which is key because universities are businesses. It especially helped me in my position as Vice Chancellor of Research and Grants, because we dealt so much with grants, budgets, personnel and project management. The William Woods MBA helped me do that job better and really grow in that position, helping me to qualify for my current position.”

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For the first 153 years of its existence, William Woods never had a graduate who went on the become the president of a college or university. That all changed in March of 2024, when Dr. Aimee Sapp, then provost at The Woods, was appointed president of Meredith College, a private, all-women’s institution of 1,600 students located in Raleigh, North Carolina. Dr. Sapp reflected on her pioneering status shortly after assuming the leadership role at Meredith later that year.

“We often talk to students about how we are equipping them with portable skills that they can take with them wherever they go, so I probably feel like any proud graduate of The Woods who discovers that their college experience has prepared them for their moment, whatever that moment happens to be,” she said. “I am certainly appreciative of my time at William Woods and how it led me to the next chapter in my life. I am also grateful to have worked closely with two presidents of WWU during my time there, and learned from their experience as university presidents.”

“It wasn’t always my goal to serve as a college president, but it became something I started to consider after encouragement by others who saw me in this role,” Sapp continued. “My career path, and a host of valuable mentors, prepared me for the opportunity when it did present itself.”

WWU’s current president, Romaine Seguin, became the university’s second alumnus to assume the leadership role when she was appointed to the top spot at The Woods on December 13, 2024. Seguin’s experience serving her alma mater, including graduating from William Woods in 1982 through serving as the Chair of the university’s Board of Trustees, all sandwiched around an outstanding career of corporate leadership in the business world, made her an obvious choice to become WWU’s 14^th president.

“I have been very honored,” said President Seguin five months into her tenure, “to lead an institution that has given me so much. I benefitted from being here as a student at The Woods, and it was really time for me to give back to the institution. I consider myself a servant-leader, and in my opinion, more institutions, more not-for-profits, could benefit from servant-leaders who are passionate about moving the entity forward.”

“Here at William Woods, we have so many good things that are happening, and I am just so very honored to be sitting in the president’s chair for this institution,” Seguin said.

Leadership is a concept that is crucial to driving the success of any organization, whether it is heading a college or a corporation. And while many institutions pay lip service towards developing future leaders, at some places like William Woods, that development is demonstrated in tangible ways. Like producing three current college presidents, for example.

“It just speaks volumes about the quality of the education at William Woods, and the quality of students that attend William Woods,” added Sublette. “It’s a fact that really adds to the reputation of the university and I am proud to be a graduate!”