Resilience, compassion and purpose define the life and career of Wendy Hensel, who will be the new president of the University of Hawaiʻi 10-campus system on January 1, 2025. A widow at 40 and now a married mother of four in a blended family, Hensel’s personal tragedy and triumphs have led to a leadership philosophy rooted in empathy and action. From her beginnings as a lawyer-turned-educator to her rise through academic leadership roles at Georgia State University and the City University of New York (CUNY), she has consistently prioritized collaboration and the power of education to uplift diverse communities.
Born in Grand Rapids and raised in Michigan, Hensel earned a bachelor’s with highest honors from Michigan State University, and is a cum laude graduate of Harvard Law School. In part one of a two-part interview with UH News, Hensel shares her journey, perspective and values.
You knew your career path from a young age?
I always loved learning and was in public schools up until Harvard Law School. For as long as I can remember, I wanted to be either a lawyer or a teacher, and so when I had the chance to be both, I jumped at it. I love developing human potential, just helping people reach their personal goals. I enjoy learning and problem solving, and I always have.
In third grade I knew I wanted to be a lawyer because we had a little mini trial. Somebody had stolen candy or something to that effect and we had to figure out who did it. And I was just so excited that I came up with the right questions. I thought, oh, that’s what I want to do! I want to solve problems and ask the questions. The interest in teaching was also always there, but I never thought becoming a professor was something I could achieve.
Tell us about your shift from a successful legal career to teaching at Georgia State University?
I enjoyed practicing law but the impact was limited, and often litigation feels like it’s not really productive. That’s putting it nicely. I was pregnant with my first child and saw a job advertisement for a non-tenure track position teaching legal writing, and I thought, well, that would be really fun for a few years while I think about what might be next. I was fortunate enough to get that job, and then just totally fell in love with my students. I loved that they were coming from different backgrounds, that most of them were not privileged, that they really wanted this education, and to get it required real sacrifice and skin in the game.
Any memorable moments from those early teaching days?
I remember a young woman who came to my office crying saying, “I just don’t think I’m cut out for this. I didn’t do really great on my exams.” And I sat there and spoke with her for probably two hours saying, “what is it that brought you here?”
I said, “you need to see in you what I see in you, which is the tremendous promise of somebody whose potential is unlimited.” I told her, “I’m here to talk to you in those moments when you say, ‘I don’t belong here.’ You don’t need an appointment, shoot me an email and I’ll be your cheerleader in the process.” And she ended up doing really well in the class. Long story short, she is thriving now. We are still in touch and she has told me that I changed her life’s trajectory. The thing that has been really cool about this process (applying for UH President) is that people that I don’t even remember well or haven’t spoken with for years have reached out and said, you don’t realize how foundational you were to my success. Their words of support have been incredibly meaningful to me.
What did you learn from the transition from professor to administrator?
The joke at Georgia State is that I held every position but president, including non-tenure track and tenure track faculty positions, and administrative positions as associate dean, dean, and finally Provost. That diversity gave me a great perspective of the importance of everyone at a university—that people contribute differently in their positions but in equally meaningful ways. We are a team across the university with staff and faculty. I think it’s easy sometimes for people who’ve only been in one position to not recognize that. My work at the system level with CUNY amplified that, as I learned that what we could accomplish together exceeded what any one campus was capable of doing on their own.
You say a pivotal moment in your life was losing your husband.
He had just turned 40 and was actually in great health at the time of his death. I was with him when it happened. I had a nine-year-old son with autism and an 11-year-old daughter at the time. That horrible event shaped me into who I am today. I always have my priorities straight, always. People often say, “how do you stay so calm under pressure?” And the answer is, I know who I am, I know what’s most important to me, and I keep my eye on the ball. That grounds me.
Nothing could possibly be harder, I don’t think, than what I’ve already experienced. That kind of tragedy teaches you to treasure the present. To really appreciate, even in the hard times, the value of the present and your family.
How has your role as a mother shaped you as a leader?
I can tell you with certainty, it has made me a more compassionate human being, a softer human being. The experience with my children has taught me to recognize the value of kindness especially in moments of crisis, and how much it means to people to feel listened to and understood. My son, Luke, has autism, and I’ve learned that I am most effective in communicating with him when I am clear and compassionate, and that has affected and improved my style as an administrator.
He just graduated from Landmark College with a computer science degree. Whatever his best life is, I’m excited for him to find it. His whole life, he has wanted to move to Denver, and I decided his best chance for success was to support that, so we moved him there right before we completed the move to Honolulu. Mom is worried but Mom believes in him. My daughter, Grace, is a social worker who is now gravitating towards special education and wants to transition to being a teacher. She’s considering moving to Hawaiʻi.
You and your husband Kenton have four children altogether?
I have the two that are mine and two that became mine when I remarried. Isabella, is 19 and a new freshman at the University of Georgia. Her older sister, Meylene, is 23 and was adopted from Nicaragua. She has some developmental delays from early childhood, but she is living her best life in supported housing and working in a cafeteria at an elementary school. It’s a wonderful time for young people with disabilities because finally society recognizes that there’s tremendous value in people with differences and, with the right support, they can live happy, productive and independent lives.
They were little when Kenton and I got together, so they are absolutely my children, too.
Any words that you live by?
My favorite quote is: “I am not what happened to me. I am what I choose to become.” Bad things happen and it’s our job to figure out the best way to make it meaningful and to move forward. For me, the meaning is helping others in difficult situations. And you don’t delay happiness, I never delay happiness. I don’t think if only I can get through this, then I’ll be happy. There is always something to be grateful for, and joy is waiting out there to be found in unexpected places.
