Jonathan Brand became the 15th president of Cornell College in July 2011. Under his leadership and thanks to two consecutive institutional strategic plans, the college continues to anticipate and respond to the needs and wants of students. This includes launching new academic programs, developing a , strengthening student support services, starting a , and adding intercollegiate sports. The college opened a  and renovated its Thomas Commons, first-year residence halls, numerous academic buildings, and an expanded athletics facility. The recent $80 million Greater>Than campaign resulted in gifts of $118 million. 
Before coming to Cornell, he served six years as President of Doane College in Crete, Nebraska, and seven years as Vice President of Institutional and Budget Planning and Special Assistant and Counsel to the President at Grinnell College.
Brand teaches in Cornell’s Department of Politics. His writing on higher education includes a chapter in the book “Making College Better: Views from the Top,” an ongoing , and articles in the Chronicle of Higher Education and The Huffington Post. He has spoken at conferences sponsored by the NCAA and the Council of Independent Colleges, among others.
He is an avid runner, practicing with the college’s track and cross-country teams and competing in 12 marathons.
Brand has been involved with Cornell’s  and he is on the advisory committee for the Law School Admission Council’s  to help students develop the skills necessary for success in law. He is a member of the board of directors of the Putney Open Door Fund, which offers scholarship support for economically disadvantaged high school students, and has led the annual fundraising for the Iowa Peace Institute, a non-profit organization committed to alternative dispute resolution.
He holds a law degree from Cornell University, a master's degree in French literature from the University of Michigan, and a bachelor's degree in history and French from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.