Arizona Board of Regents awards Regents’ Medal to Christine K. Wilkinson

Today, the Arizona Board of Regents awarded one of its highest recognitions to Christine Kajikawa Wilkinson, Ph.D., whose more than five decades of leadership at Arizona State University have helped shape one of the nation's most prominent public universities.

The Regents' Medal honors extraordinary contributions to higher education in Arizona, a distinction Wilkinson has earned through roles spanning student affairs, enrollment management, alumni engagement and executive leadership since 1970.

Wilkinson began her career at ASU as director of student activities in the Memorial Union before going on to serve in senior leadership roles across the institution. She has held positions including vice president for student affairs, director of undergraduate admissions and senior advisor in the president’s office, and served three times as interim athletics director. She currently serves as senior vice president and secretary of the university, advising on policy and serving as a primary liaison to the Arizona Board of Regents. 

Wilkinson also continues to lead and support key university-affiliated organizations. She has served as president and chief executive officer of the ASU Alumni Association since 2005, overseeing efforts to engage more than 700,000 alumni and strengthen their connection to the university. In that role, she has guided the association’s strategic direction, restructured its board and helped expand national alumni engagement. Since 2015, she has also served as managing director of the Trustees of ASU, where she oversees trustee operations, coordinates governance activities and serves as a liaison to the university’s trustee body.

“Christine Wilkinson’s impact on ASU and the students it serves is enormous,” said ABOR Chair Doug Goodyear. “She has played a central role in decisions that have shaped the direction of one of the nation’s leading public universities, and her commitment to students and Arizona will have a lasting impact.  Christine has personally touched thousands of lives and we are incredibly grateful for her service.”

Throughout her tenure, Wilkinson has guided ASU through periods of transformation, including her leadership in student affairs and service in key executive roles across the university. A tenured faculty member and longtime leader, her work has helped position ASU as a model for innovation and public impact in higher education. 

Her achievements include establishing ASU’s first centralized outreach and undergraduate recruitment efforts, developing the university’s enrollment management approach and helping lead major institutional initiatives, including capital campaigns and scholarship initiatives. She’s also played a lead role in coordinating large-scale university events, including commencement ceremonies attended by national leaders, including former President Barack Obama. 

Wilkinson’s community engagement spans a range of civic, philanthropic and national organizations, including Valley of the Sun United Way, the Japanese American National Museum, the Pat Tillman Foundation and Charter 100. She also supports education, research and community initiatives through her work with the Southwest Autism Research & Resource Center, International Women’s Forum Arizona and ASU Women & Philanthropy.

Wilkinson has been recognized throughout her career with honors for leadership and service, including induction into the Arizona Women’s Hall of Fame, the Phoenix Business Journal’s Most Admired Leader Lifetime Achievement Award and the Tempe Community Council’s Don Carlos Humanitarian Award. These recognitions reflect her impact at ASU and her broader contributions to Arizona’s civic and higher education communities.