PORTLAND, Ore. -- Former PacifiCorp chief executive officer Judith Johansen lives near Marylhurst University and admits to occasionally violating the school's no-dogs-on-campus policy when walking her dogs.

It's unlikely anyone is going to stop her now.

The university located south of Portland announced Wednesday that Johansen will be its first new president in almost a quarter-century. She replaces Nancy Wilgenbusch, who is retiring.

Johansen, 49, said fundraising and increasing the visibility of the 115-year-old liberal arts institution will be priorities.

"The next challenge is for us to bring more resources to the school to help improve and fund the academic side and to enhance access for students to the university," she told The Oregonian. "There are plenty of people out there who would love to come to Marylhurst to further their education or begin their education, and I think we can do more to reach out to those people and help them come here."

Ruth Beyer, chairwoman of the university's Board of Trustees, said the board sought more than academic credentials in the next president.

"We feel that this choice is going to make a lasting difference to Marylhurst over the years," she said.

Johansen takes over July 1 as the school completes a $25 million renovation of its 63-acre campus. The school was founded in 1893 by the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary and was the first liberal arts college for women in the Northwest.

In 1974, amid a declining enrollment, Marylhurst transformed itself into a Catholic coeducational institution devoted to "lifelong learning" and became a pioneer in online instruction. Today, most of the university's 1,253 students are working adults.

Johansen graduated from Colorado State University and Northwestern School of Law at Lewis & Clark College. She has spent almost all of her career in the energy industry and was president and CEO of PacifiCorp from 2001-2006.

Johansen is currently chairwoman of the Lewis & Clark College Board of Trustees. She said she will resign that position next month.