The Oglethorpe University Board of Trustees voted unanimously during its fall meeting Nov. 9-10 to approve Dr. Kathryn McClymond as the institution’s 18th president, removing “interim” from her title effective immediately.
“The trustees recognized that Dr. McClymond is the right choice at the right time to lead Oglethorpe,” said Board Chair Tammy Pearson, Oglethorpe class of ’86 and Vice President and Assistant General Counsel at Chick-fil-A.
“When we went back and looked at the list of qualifications we compiled in previous searches, we realized we already had that candidate, and a national search was not needed. Kathryn has been a strong and capable leader during the interim, and as a Board, we wanted to continue the positive momentum that she has helped to generate,” Pearson said.
McClymond is Oglethorpe’s first female president. The Board of Trustees named McClymond interim president beginning June 3 after the departure of Dr. Nick Ladany, who served as president from July 2020 to June 2023. She originally served Oglethorpe as Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs beginning in July 2021.
During the five months of Dr. McClymond’s interim presidency, Oglethorpe has reached its highest total enrollment in its history with 1,529 students, maintained stable finances with a fiscally responsible approach to spending and reconstituted a student success office designed to increase retention and improve student outcomes.
McClymond has repeated an interim message of “steady, focused, forward” as she followed the university’s strategic plan as a roadmap. She engaged with all university constituencies by following a daily regimen of contacting alumni and donors, meeting with students, and attending campus events, communicating transparently with faculty and staff, and advocating for Oglethorpe to the Brookhaven and Atlanta communities and beyond.
“I embraced leading Oglethorpe during the interim and my love for this wonderful institution has grown over this…
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