Gary R. Roberts has been named Bradley University’s 11th chief executive.

Bradley University trustees didn’t have to look far for the school’s new president

The board has named alumnus and legal expert Gary R. Roberts as the university’s 11th president.

Roberts will assume his new role over on Jan. 1, 2016. He replaces Joanne Glasser who retired from Bradley earlier this year.

Roberts graduated from Bradley in 1970 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics with minors in history and speech before earned advanced degrees and embarking on a career in law and higher education.

“I grew to love Bradley as an undergraduate student,” Roberts said. “It was then and continues to be a wonderful place for young adults to learn, to grow and mature, and to transition into full adulthood. Bradley is a jewel in so many ways.”

Currently a law professor at Indiana University, Roberts served as Dean from 2007-13. He previously spent 24 years at Tulane University Law School in a variety of roles and established the nation’s first Sports Law Program and is considered among the foremost sports law experts and scholars in the country.

“Gary is a forward-thinking, innovative and proven leader, who understands Bradley from the inside out,” said Doug Stewart, Bradley Board of Trustees chairman. “He has extensive experience that makes him uniquely qualified to take on the challenge of moving Bradley forward.”

Roberts received his law degree from Stanford University. Upon graduation, he clerked for Judge Ben Duniway of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in San Francisco for a year before going into private practice with the law firm of Covington & Burling in Washington, DC and then began his academic career in higher education at Tulane in 1983.

Roberts has continued to practice law part-time throughout his academic career with a focus on antitrust and sports law.

He has been a frequent commentator on broadcast and in print media on sports-related legal and business issues. He was the on-air legal analyst for the NFL network and a lead analyst for other national media outlets during the National Football League lockout in 2011. He has testified before Congressional Committees on nine occasions on sports matters.

In 2011, Roberts was the Graduate School commencement speaker at Bradley.

While a student, he was an active member of the debate team, one of the four members of the five-time undefeated College Bowl Team, and he was actively involved in student government, being president of his sophomore class, student-body treasurer during his junior year, and a member of the student supreme court his senior year.

Roberts said he is honored, excited and humbled to be Bradley’s next president.

“It is a challenging time for higher education, especially for mid-sized private institutions such as Bradley,” Roberts said. “I approach this job with total commitment, determination and enthusiasm. And I know that my wife, Donna Carr Roberts, is equally excited and anxious to become part of the Bradley family and an active member of the Peoria community. ”

Roberts’ wife, Donna Carr Roberts, is a former corporate marketing executive and an award winning artist specializing in oils and watercolors.

He has one adult son who lives in New York. He enjoys golf, traveling and doing arbitration work in sports disputes. He is a passionate animal lover and has worked actively on the board of directors for the Indianapolis Humane Society for the past several years.

—  New president got his start as Bradley undergrad —