Ora H. Pescovitz Elected Chair of AASCU Board of Directors

Contact:
Kellee Edmonds
(202) 478-4662

NASHVILLE, November 17, 2025 - Ora H. Pescovitz, president of Oakland University (MI), has been elected chair of the Board of Directors at the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU). Bennie L. Harris, chancellor of the University of South Carolina Upstate, was named chair-elect.

During the AASCU 2025 Annual Conference for Presidents and Chancellors that concluded today in Nashville, AASCU membership also elected five new members to the Board of Directors:

• Katherine P. Frank, chancellor, University of Wisconsin-Stout
• Todd G. Lamb, president, University of Central Oklahoma
• Lynn Mahoney, president, San Francisco State University (CA)
• Peter O. Nwosu, president, State University of New York at Oswego
• Radha Pyati, chancellor, Pennsylvania State University, Berks Campus

Since taking the helm at Oakland University in 2017, Pescovitz has exponentially increased the institution's enrollment, entrepreneurial and philanthropic activities, and reputation. Student and academic success, research innovation, and community engagement have all deepened under her leadership.

A distinguished pediatric endocrinologist and researcher, Pescovitz has authored nearly 200 papers and books. She previously served as the executive associate dean for research affairs at Indiana University's School of Medicine, president and CEO of Riley Hospital for Children, and interim vice president for research administration at Indiana University. She was also the CEO of the University of Michigan's Health System and senior vice president at Eli Lilly and Company.

In addition to serving on AASCU's Board of Directors, Pescovitz also sits on the boards of Priority Health, the Detroit Economic Club, the Detroit Drives Degrees Leadership Council, and MBX Biosciences, Inc.

"I am deeply honored to serve as AASCU's next board chair," said Pescovitz. "At a time of heightened scrutiny for higher education, regional public universities are beacons of hope - and I'm eager to work alongside my colleagues to illuminate how we can and do deliver on America's promise."

"Ora Pescovitz's tenure at Oakland University is an impressive illustration of what can be accomplished when a leader is passionate about the success and well-being of their students, their institution, and their community," said Charles L. Welch, AASCU's president and CEO. "I know she will bring that same drive and dedication to her new role as AASCU board chair, serving on a national stage on behalf of the country's regional public universities."

Bennie L. Harris has dedicated his career to inspiring and developing young people so that they become equipped to change the world. Prior to becoming the fifth chancellor of the University of South Carolina Upstate in 2021, he served as the senior vice president for institutional advancement at the Morehouse School of Medicine, where he dramatically increased fundraising outcomes, helped draft a five-year strategic plan, and developed a leadership academy for faculty and staff. Harris also held leadership roles at Washington State University, the University of Alabama at Birmingham, DePaul University, and Lipscomb University.

Earlier this year, he was elected president of the NCAA Big South Conference for the 2025-26 and 2026-27 academic years. He also serves on the boards of numerous civic organizations, including the Spartanburg Academic Movement, Ten at the Top, OneSpartanburg, the United Way of the Piedmont, and the Greenville Chamber of Commerce. Harris earned a bachelor's degree in industrial engineering from Mississippi State University, an MBA in strategic marketing from Washington State University, and a doctorate in strategic educational marketing from the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

The following presidents will continue their terms as members of AASCU's board:

Past Chair:

• Alisa White, president, Sam Houston State University (TX)

Treasurer:

• Andy Feinstein, president, University of Northern Colorado

Other returning AASCU board members are:

• Kelli R. Brown, chancellor, Western Carolina University (NC)
• Alberto J.F. Cardelle, president, State University of New York at Oneonta
• Houston D. Davis, president, University of Central Arkansas
• Jann L. Joseph, president, Georgia Gwinnett College
• Brendan Kelly, president, Arkansas State University System
• Nora R. Miller, president, Mississippi University for Women

Additional Appointments

In October, the Board of Directors appointed William Paterson University President Richard Helldobler as member at large officer on the executive committee. In addition, the board chose University of North Carolina Wilmington Chancellor Aswani Volety and Sul Ross State University President J. Carlos Hernandez to replace Carlos Vargas, former president of Southeast Missouri State University, and DeRionne Pollard, former president of Nevada State University, who now serves as president and CEO of the American Association of Community Colleges. The board also selected Bonnie Irwin, chancellor, University of Hawai'i at Hilo, to replace Maenette K. P. Ah Nee-Benham, who is stepping down as chancellor of the University of Hawaiʻi-West Oʻahu at the end of the year.

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The American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) is a Washington, D.C.-based higher education association that represents the sector of over 500 regional public colleges, universities, and systems whose members share a learning- and teaching-centered culture, a historic commitment to student populations, and a dedication to research and creativity that advances their regions' economic progress and cultural development. These are institutions delivering America's promise.