Toledo, Ohio – The University of Toledo’s Board of Trustees has announced the finalists it is considering for the position of interim president. During the June 8 Special Meeting, the Board unanimously voted to interview three candidates for the interim leadership appointment.

The Board contracted with AGB Search which specializes in executive leadership searches exclusively for higher education. The firm’s managing principal, and former president of Ohio University and UToledo alumnus, Dr. Roderick McDavis, led the search bringing forward potential candidates for the Board’s review.

“I believe I speak on behalf of the entire Board when I say that we are extremely pleased with the caliber of candidates AGB has brought forward for consideration,” UToledo Board of Trustees Chair Mary Ellen Pisanelli said. “These candidates’ interest in the leadership position is a testament to the national reputation of our outstanding faculty and The University of Toledo.”

Following a brief discussion about the priorities for a transitional leader, the Board voted to interview three candidates:

• Dr. Christopher Colenda – President emeritus at West Virginia University (WVU) Health System and former chancellor for health sciences at WVU. During his tenure, the WVU Health System grew to include eight owned or affiliated hospitals throughout the state of West Virginia. Among his many academic leadership appointments, Colenda also served as vice president for clinical affairs and dean of the College of Medicine at Texas A&M University. He holds an M.D. from the Medical College of Virginia of Virginia Commonwealth University, a M.P.H. from Johns Hopkins University and a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Wittenberg University. He completed residencies in pathology at Case Western University, behavioral medicine and psychiatry at University of Virginia and general preventive medicine at Johns Hopkins University. He was also the chief resident in the Department of Psychiatry and completed a fellowship in public mental health, both at Emory University.
• Dr. Gregory Postel – Former interim president and former executive vice president for health affairs at the University of Louisville (UofL) and current senior client partner representing healthcare services and higher education at Korn Ferry, an organizational consulting firm. Postel has extensive experience with academic medical center and university operations. He also served as CEO of UofL Physicians. As interim president he led the successful removal of UofL’s accreditation probation with the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACS-COC) and restructured the UofL athletics department. He led the UofL’s budget reset necessitated by a $50 million shortfall. Among his many administrative accomplishments, Postel designed and implemented two academic affiliations including an eight-year, $33 million per year pediatric affiliation with Norton Healthcare and a $23 million a year adult affiliation agreement with KentuckyOne Health. A graduate of the College of Wooster with a bachelor’s degree in chemistry and an M.D. from Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, he completed a residency in radiology at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation and a fellowship in neuroradiology at the Mayo Clinic Foundation.
• Dr. Chuck Staben – The former president and current professor of biology at the University of Idaho (U of I). Under his leadership U of I grew research more than 25%, increased student retention and graduation and doubled fundraising exceeding $50 million annually. His administrative experience also includes provost and vice president for academic affairs at the University of South Dakota and vice president for research at the University of Kentucky. He earned his Ph.D. in biochemistry at the University of California, Berkeley and his undergraduate degree in biochemistry at the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana. He also completed post-doc training at Stanford University and Chiron Research Laboratories.

The University is expected to launch a national search for the next president in the fall.