President James Shadid
James E. Shadid became Bradley University’s 13th president on April 1, 2025. Shadid, a 1979 Bradley graduate, served as a United States District Judge for the Central District of Illinois, appointed to that position by U.S. President Barack Obama and unanimously confirmed by the U.S. Senate on March 7, 2011.
Shadid has long given back to his alma mater, both as an adjunct professor and as a former university Trustee. His roots at Bradley run deep, from his own experience as a student and baseball player on the Hilltop to other family members who became Braves, including his late brother George, son Jim, niece Lauren, and more than a dozen other cousins and their children. Shadid and his wife, Jane, are the proud parents of three adult children: Jim, Joe and Maggie.