Gustavus Adolphus College announced that Rebecca Weiss Bergman will become its 17th president. She will have the distinction of being the first women to lead the college since its founding in 1862.

Bergman will move from her position as vice president of research, technology and therapy delivery systems for Medtronic’s cardiac rhythm disease management business. She previously served as the division’s vice president of new therapies and diagnostics as well as vice president, corporate science and technology. Medtronic is a global medical technology company with headquarters in Minneapolis.

Over the last seven years, Bergman was member of the board of trustees and on the academic affairs committee of the private liberal arts college. Located in St. Peter, Minnesota, ithe school is affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and remains rooted in its Swedish heritage. Close to 2,500 students are enrolled, representing 43 states and 15 countries.

Bergman holds a BSE in chemical engineering received from Princeton in 1978 and a Ph.D. in the same major from the University of Minnesota in 1982. She was elected a fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering 2001 and was elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 2010.