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.

Along the way, he ascended to chief judge during his federal stint on the bench. Prior to that, he was a state judge for 10 years, serving in the five-county 10th Judicial Circuit. After graduating from John Marshall Law School (now University of Illinois at Chicago School of Law) in 1983, he became an attorney in private practice in the Peoria area.

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.