President moves: Miami installs a new leader as hiring intensifies

A pair of presidents find new homes as several institutions name new leaders

Hired

Joe Echevarria
Joe Echevarria

Joe Echevarria – University of Miami

The University of Miami installed alumnus Joe Echevarria as its next president after he served a stint as interim leader. Echevarria, a certified public accountant, previously served as CEO of consulting giant, Deloitte, where he spent more than three decades. In 2020, he became CEO of UHealth—the University of Miami Health System—and was named the university’s interim president 2022.

“The faculty members who carry out our mission turned the unlikely into the achievable for me, as they have done for countless of my fellow alumni, and as they continue to do for our students, our patients, and our greater Miami community,” Echevarria said in a statement.

Lester A. McCorn – Paine College

Clinton College President Lester A. McCorn will have a new home next summer. McCorn was named president-elect of Paine College in Augusta, Georgia, and will begin his term in July. McCorn is also a professor of Christian leadership at Clinton College, which is located in Rock Hill, South Carolina. He is an ordained elder in the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church and has served as pastor of churches in Boston, Connecticut, Atlanta and Baltimore.

Jerry Wallace – West Virginia University Potomac State College

Jerry Wallace
Jerry Wallace

Jerry Wallace, president of Danville Community College in Virginia, is also moving to a new post. Wallace will take the helm as president of West Virginia University Potomac State College on Dec. 1. Wallace was previously president of the Nebraska Central Community College Hastings Campus and president of New River Community and Technical College in West Virginia.

Brad Chamberlain – Luther College

Provost Brad Chamberlain has been elevated to president-elect of Iowa’s Luther College. Chamberlain, who began his career at the school as a chemistry instructor in 2001, will replace President Jenifer K. Ward when she retires in June.


President’s corner: How Doug Hicks carries a Southern staple into the modern era 


Greg Elzinga – Calvin University

Interim leader Greg Elzinga has been appointed the 13th president of Calvin University in Michigan. Since being installed as interim president in March, Chamberlain has focused on expanding enrollment, fostering a vibrant campus culture and investing in infrastructure, the university says.

Leslie Rodriguez-McClellon – Arkansas Baptist College

Leslie Rodriguez-McClellon
Leslie Rodriguez-McClellon

Arkansas Baptist College has chosen Leslie Rodriguez-McClellon as its next president, according to The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education. Rodriguez-McClellon is the vice president of community relations and governmental affairs at Saint Augustine’s University in North Carolina, where she briefly served as acting president.

Retirements

Joseph R. Marbach – Georgian Court University

Joseph R. Marbach will retire from New Jersey’s Georgian Court University in June. Marbach, who was named the university’s first male and first non-religious president in 2015, spearheaded nine new undergraduate programs including new majors in nursing, finance, health sciences and sports management, the university said in a news release. In 2022, Marbach made Georgian Court the first university in New Jersey to offer its employees a four-day work week.

Stepping down

Eric D. Darr – Harrisburg University of Science and Technology

Eric D. Darr has resigned as president of Pennsylvania’s Harrisburg University of Science and Technology. Darr worked as a consultant to the university when it opened in 2005, and has since served as vice president of finance and administration, executive vice president and interim president, the Central Penn Business Journal reported.

Matt Zalaznick
Matt Zalaznick
Matt Zalaznick is the managing editor of University Business and a life-long journalist. Prior to writing for University Business, he worked in daily news all over the country, from the NYC suburbs to the Rocky Mountains, Silicon Valley and the U.S. Virgin Islands. He's also in a band.

Most Popular