Thomas K. Hearn

Thomas K. Hearn Jr. (July 5, 1937 – August 18, 2008) was the twelfth president of Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Hearn served as president from 1983 to 2005, which is the second-longest tenure in the university's history. During Hearn's time as president he oversaw the transformation of the school from a regional Southern Baptist college into one of the nation's premier independent universities.

Background Hearn was born in Opp, Alabama, on July 5, 1937. He served as president until 2005. Additionally, The Brain Tumor Center of Excellence at Wake Forest School of Medicine named their research operations the Thomas K. Hearn Jr. Brain Tumor Research Center in honor of the work Hearn did to expand the funding for brain tumor research during his tenure at Wake Forest University. The Center for Creative Leadership posthumously published his essays in 2022 on life and leadership.