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March 5, 2007
Key VP searches shift into high gear

BY ron sauder

An intense search process for a successor to Senior Vice President for Development and University Relations Johnnie Ray has moved into the home stretch, with four finalists having visited campus in the past two weeks.

Meanwhile, a search consultant has been engaged, an advisory committee has been constituted and early expressions of interest have been encouraging in the search for a successor to Michael M.E. Johns as executive vice president for health affairs and CEO of the Woodruff Health Sciences Center.

Johns has been named fifth chancellor of Emory and will assume his new position on Sept. 1, or when his successor in health sciences takes office. Ray left Emory in December to become president and CEO of the Arizona State University Foundation.

“The early feedback we have gotten on both of these searches from our search consultants, prospective candidates and colleagues within the academic community has been positive,” President Jim Wagner said. “Both inside and outside the University, there is a shared perception that we are moving to a new level of accomplishment as we begin to implement our strategic plan. Emory is an exciting and appealing place to be because of our auspicious combination of resources, vision and opportunity.”

Wagner said that based on their initial rounds of interviews, one or more of the development VP finalists could be invited back to campus in early March for an even wider range of interviews and interactions with the Emory community.

The development job has been advertised as senior vice president for development and alumni relations, a change in nomenclature signifying the fact that the communications and marketing functions are being integrated and broken out as a separate division of the administration, serving all other divisions of the University, including development and alumni relations as clients.

The development search is being headed by Johns. The search consultant is John Glier of the firm Grenzebach & Glier, who also is serving as a management consultant to Emory’s comprehensive campaign. Other members of the advisory committee are University trustees Ellen Bailey, Sonny Deriso and Rusty French; Earl Lewis, provost and executive vice president for academic affairs; Rosemary Magee, vice president and secretary of the University; and Michael Mandl, executive vice president for finance and administration. The search is being staffed by Gary Teal, senior associate vice president for administration in the Woodruff Health Sciences Center.

The executive vice president for health affairs search is being headed by Mandl. The search consultant is Spencer Stuart. Other members of the advisory committee include Woodruff Health Sciences Center and University trustees Doug Ivester, Ben Johnson, William Kelly and John Morgan. Also serving on the committee are William Bornstein and Susan Grant of Emory Healthcare; Susan Donaldson from the School of Nursing; Eric Hunter, Nelson Oyesiku, Carlos del Rio, David Stephens and Barbara Stoll from the School of Medicine; Michelle Lampl of Emory College; Richard Levinson and Ken Thorpe from the School of Public Health; and Lisa Tedesco from the Graduate School.

The search is being staffed by Peter Barnes, vice president for human resources, and David Hanson, associate vice president for administration.

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