Office of the President
The President has full executive responsibility for the operation and management of the Universities of Wisconsin. Reporting to the 18-member Board of Regents, the President carries out the duties prescribed in Wisconsin Statutes for this office and other such duties as may be assigned by the Board or in policy actions of the Board. The Vice Presidents and Chancellors report to the President. The President sees to appropriate staffing of Universities of Wisconsin administrative offices, directing and coordinating the activities of these offices as needed to fulfill his or her responsibilities.
Christopher Patton
Executive-in-Charge
Contact
1756 Van Hise Hall
1220 Linden Dr.
Madison, WI 53706
Telephone: (608) 263-9676
chris.patton@wisconsin.edu
View Bio
About Christopher Patton
Chris Patton is Executive-in-Charge of the Universities of Wisconsin, one of the nation’s largest public higher education systems comprising 13 universities with over 164,000 students. The Board of Regents named him to this position on April 7, 2026. As the Universities of Wisconsin’s Vice President for University Relations, he has been responsible for state and federal government relations and advocacy efforts. In this role, he also has provided leadership to UW Administration’s business, entrepreneurship, and employer engagement offices that provide consulting services and continuing education courses to thousands of entrepreneurs across all 72 Wisconsin counties. Additionally, Chris has overseen efforts to promote civil dialogue, civic engagement, public service, and the first amendment across the Universities of Wisconsin.
Before joining the Universities of Wisconsin in 2024, Chris served as the Vice Chancellor of Administration and Finance at UW-Platteville. In this role, he served as the Chief Financial and Operating Officer overseeing human resources, financial management, compliance and institutional ethics and university police including the development of a $140 million annual operating budget supporting 900 faculty and staff across three colleges and six divisions. Additionally, Chris oversaw student affairs including the Dean of Students, residence life, student center, student health services and student mental health services on a campus of 6,700. Under Chris’ leadership, UW Platteville eliminated a $9.7 million structural deficit and implemented financial measures that resulted in positive operating budgets across all funds and positive net revenues.
Chris's career also includes significant roles at the Wisconsin Department of Administration, where he served the Chief Operating Officer for the state of Wisconsin as DOA Deputy Secretary, and at Epic Systems as Administration Operations Director. His policy and legislative expertise was honed during his tenure as Policy Director for former Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle and Chief of Staff to the Wisconsin Assembly Minority Leader.
Chris is the 2022 Distinguished Deputy Award recipient, an award presented annually by the National Association of State Chief Administrators, for outstanding contributions during his two decades of public service. Chris currently serves on the Board of Trustees for WiSys, the Educational Communications Board, and is a volunteer for Special Olympics. Past board service includes University of Wisconsin Hospital & Clinics Authority Board, Destination Madison Board, Educational Communication Board, National Governors Association, Midwestern Governors Association, Governors Forestry Council, and Madison Area Down Syndrome Society.
Chris earned a Bachelor of Science in Political Science from UW-River Falls. He resides in Verona, Wis., with his wife and two sons.
Nicole Sment
Senior Executive Assistant to the President
1712 Van Hise Hall
1220 Linden Dr.
Madison, WI 53706
Telephone: (608) 262-0110
nicole.sment@wisconsin.edu
David Volz
Special Assistant
1710 Van Hise Hall
1220 Linden Dr.
Madison, WI 53706
Telephone: (608) 890-3893
david.volz@wisconsin.edu
Office of Public Affairs, Communications, & Branding
Assists in communicating the President’s vision for the Universities of Wisconsin, serves as a primary point of contact for news reporters, manages the Universities of Wisconsin web presence and digital content, and produces a variety of print and online publications to serve both internal and external audiences.