Zaldwaynaka (Z) Scott, Esq., serves as the 12th permanent president of Chicago State University. Since her appointment in 2018, President Scott has overseen the development and advancement of the CSU Strategic Plan 2020-2025 and supervised the launch of a historic re-brand of the university.
Prior to her tenure at CSU, President Scott was an equity partner in a national law firm with an international practice that focused on corporate internal investigations, counseling clients on regulatory compliance and crisis management. She also spent more than 16 years as a federal criminal prosecutor in the position of Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Northern District of Illinois.
As a distinguished business & civic leader, President Scott has played an influential role in the Chicago community for over 30 years. She is a highly sought-after speaker and lecturer on topics related to leadership, equity in education, crisis management, trial advocacy, ethics and compliance. She has received numerous awards honoring her service and was recognized by Crain’s Chicago Business as one of the Most Powerful Women in Chicago Business.
President Scott holds a Juris Doctor from Indiana University Maurer School of Law and a Bachelor of Science in Journalism from the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana.
