Roger L. Taylor was named President of Knox College in February 2002, following six months as Interim President.

Taylor was formally installed as President of the College on October 11, 2002. He previously served as Chair of the College’s Board of Trustees.

A native of Fulton County, Illinois, Roger Taylor is a 1959 graduate of Cuba High School. He received his bachelor’s degree in English from Knox College in 1963. He served in the United States Navy for three and one-half years, including a year in Viet Nam, before entering law school in 1968. Taylor graduated with honors from Northwestern University School of Law in 1971 and served as an editor of the law review.

Taylor is an experienced trial lawyer specializing in commercial litigation. He is a member of the American Bar Association (ABA) and the ABA Section of Litigation. He has been published in the Journal of the ABA Section of Litigation and the San Diego Law Review.

Taylor retired in 1999 from the law firm of Kirkland & Ellis, where he practiced for 30 years and remains Of Counsel. He was a partner in the firm, which has nearly 800 attorneys in offices in Chicago, Washington, D.C., New York, Los Angeles and London.

Taylor joined the Knox Board of Trustees in 1988 and was Board Chair from 1999 to 2001.

Taylor is married to Anne Zweifel Taylor, a 1963 alumna and Knox College’s Pro Bono Counsel.

Higher Education Affiliations

• Associated Colleges of Illinois (ACI), President
• Federation of Illinois Independent Colleges (FIICU), Executive Board
• Illinois Historic Preservation Agency, Board of Directors
• Associated Colleges of the Midwest (ACM), Board of Directors
• Galesburg Regional Economic Development Agency (GREDA), Board of Directors
• Lincoln Academy of Illinois, Academic Trustee
• Illinois Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission

Photo: Roger Taylor. Download for publication.