Greenwood Asher & Associates Assists West Virginia University with Provost Search
January 13, 2026 – Following a national search, Miramar Beach, FL-based executive recruitment firm Greenwood Asher & Associates has assisted in the recruitment of Beverly Wendland as provost and vice president for academic affairs for West Virginia University (WVU). Julie Holley and Julie Schrodt led the assignment for the search firm. “Beverly is a nationally recognized cell biologist who has served as a faculty member, department chair, dean, and provost during her extensive career, which has also included direct work with large academic medical centers,” said Michael Benson, president of WVU. “She will bring a scientific mindset to the role of provost and vice president for academic affairs that will complement my work as an historian. This balance will ensure all academic disciplines — from STEM to the arts — are prioritized at the highest levels of leadership as we drive the academic mission of West Virginia University into a new and impactful era.”
Ms. Wendland is an accomplished scholar and academic leader with wide-ranging higher education experience. She most recently served as senior advisor to the chancellor at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, following a successful five-year term in the role of provost and executive vice chancellor.
Under Ms. Wendland’s leadership, Washington University in St. Louis (WashU) — a private research university — made significant strides in academic excellence, research innovation and community engagement while implementing a 10-year strategic plan which included the creation of the School of Public Health. Prior to being hired at Washington University in St. Louis in 2020, Ms. Wendland served for five years as the James B. Knapp Dean of the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences at Johns Hopkins University. She had previously been a member of the Johns Hopkins faculty since 1998, and was the chair of the department of biology from 2009 to 2014.
“Serving as provost at West Virginia University is a very meaningful opportunity to help advance a land-grant research institution at a pivotal moment in its historical arc,” Ms. Wendland said. “I look forward to partnering with faculty, staff, and students to build on the strengths of WVU, support academic excellence across disciplines, and extend the University’s impact for West Virginia and the communities it serves.”
“Throughout my career, I have enhanced student learning while leveraging academic excellence for the public good,” Ms. Wendland continued. “Strategic thinking allows higher education to evolve in ways that benefit all — from global discovery to locally grounded community impact.”
The university’s provost administers all academic affairs, providing oversight for deans, academic programs, student support services, curriculum development, faculty engagement and recruitment, academic budgets, institutional data and accreditation.
Related: Greenwood Asher & Associates Places Provost at George Mason University
West Virginia University is a public, land-grant research institution located in Morgantown, WV, with additional campuses in Keyser and Beckley. Founded in 1867, WVU offers a wide range of undergraduate, graduate, and professional programs across disciplines including health sciences, engineering, business, and the arts. The university enrolls tens of thousands of students from across the nation and around the world, offering more than 350 academic programs spanning undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees.
Finding Higher Education Leaders
Greenwood Asher & Associates is an executive search firm with a diverse consulting team and extensive experience in executive search, consulting, and training for education markets including elementary, secondary, higher education, university systems, campuses and non-profit organizations including associations, service, and cultural institutions. The firm was acquired in 2020 by Kelly Education, a global leader in workforce management solutions offering staffing services to top companies.
As associate vice president of executive search, Ms. Holley has been an integral member of the Greenwood Asher & Associates team. She has completed hundreds of searches for the firm, putting a particular emphasis on identifying and recruiting leaders for presidential searches. In her work as a search consultant and practice leader, she has conducted searches in the full range of higher education organizations, but particularly focuses on searches at AAU and highly extensive research and doctoral institutions. Ms. Holley has a track record of recruiting leaders into positions at the cabinet level, including presidents, provosts, and deans. She also specializes in searches for positions relating to her legal background, including law dean and general counsel positions and other legal-related positions in higher education.
Ms. Schrodt is a senior executive search consultant with Greenwood Asher & Associates. Her responsibilities include coordinating the development of the search, recruiting candidates, referencing, and presenting a qualified candidate pool of candidates to the search committee. Previously, she was executive director of strategic communications at Northwest Florida State College.
Related: Greenwood Asher & Associates Assists the University of Arkansas System with President Search
Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief and Dale M. Zupsansky, Executive Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
