David Maxwell, PhD, has been president of Drake University since May of 1999. Prior to that, Maxwell was director of the National Foreign Language Center in Washington DC and served as president of Whitman College. Born in New York City in 1944, Dr. Maxwell earned his bachelor’s degree in Russian area studies from Grinnell College in 1966. He received his master’s and doctorate degrees in Slavic languages and literatures from Brown University in 1968 and 1974, respectively. David and his wife Maddy live in Des Moines and have been long-time supporters of the AViD Author Series.