English 
Dr. Sarah Brison Wisdom
President
Dr. Wisdom serves as President of William Woods University, a place that has been part of her life for more than two decades.
A four-time William Woods graduate, Wisdom earned her bachelor’s degree in political legal studies, master’s degree in special education and Elementary Administration, Specialist in Educational Leadership and Doctorate in Educational Leadership from the University. She later returned to William Woods as an adjunct professor. She was named Graduate Instructor of the Year in 2021–22 and received the University’s Graduate Alumni Achievement Award in 2019.
Wisdom spent more than 20 years in public education at New Bloomfield R-III Schools. She began her career there as a paraprofessional in 2004 before becoming a special education teacher, Special Education Director and, in 2017, Superintendent of Schools. As superintendent, she led a district serving approximately 700 students with nearly 100 faculty and staff members and a $12 million annual budget.
Her work in education has earned statewide and national recognition, including the Missouri Association of School Administrators Innovation Award and being named the 2025 Missouri Association of Rural Administrators Superintendent of the Year. She has also presented at state and national education conferences and served in leadership roles with education and community organizations across Missouri.
Wisdom’s return to William Woods as president brings her career full circle: from student, to alumna, to professor, and now to leading the university she has called her own for more than 20 years.