Bonnie D. Irwin has served as Chancellor of the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo since 2019 and also serves as an officer of the ten-campus University of Hawaiʻi System. She came to Hilo from California State University Monterey Bay, where she served as Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs for five years. Irwin also held positions as Dean of the Honors College (2004-2010) and Dean of Arts & Humanities (2010-2014) at Eastern Ilinois University (EIU) after having been a Professor of English there and taught courses in writing, world literature, and mythology.

Irwin serves on the boards of the Hawaii Island Chamber of Commerce, the Mauna Kea Stewardship and Oversight Authority, the ʻIole Stewardship Center, and Hawaii Public Radio. She also served on the Hawaiʻi State and County Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy Strategic Advisory Committees and the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU), Regional Engagement and Research Council. She is a fellow of the National Collegiate Honors Council and previously served as President of that organization, as well as a board member and Treasurer of the American Conference of Academic Deans.

Irwin earned her AB, MA, and PhD degrees in Comparative Literature from the University of California, Berkeley.