Greenwood Asher & Associates Leading Provost Search for the University of Cincinnati
March 5, 2026 – FL-based executive recruitment firm Greenwood Asher & Associates was recently retained by the University of Cincinnati (UC) to lead in its search for executive vice president for academic affairs and provost. Andriel Dees and Julie Schrodt are leading the assignment for the search firm. This is a remarkable opportunity to help shape the next phase of UC’s strategic direction while advancing the University’s bold investments in the Next Lives Here initiative.
The provost will work collaboratively with the president, deans, faculty, and staff to reimagine UC’s academic programs and will be responsible for liberating UC’s creativity and passion through targeted resource investments. The provost will be a key partner in research and innovation by supporting faculty scholarship and positioning UC to engage more intentionally with our business and surrounding communities through the emerging Cincinnati Innovation District.
The ideal candidate will be a forward-thinking, digitally fluent leader who embraces modernization and transformation. They will bring the vision, strategic capacity, and collaborative spirit necessary to ensure that UC continues to lead as an innovative, agile, and impact-driven institution—now and into the future. In addition, knowledge and understanding of the mission and role of student affairs is preferable, with previous experience supervising, working and collaborating with student affairs in various capacities, and in particular student development and campus life.
Founded in 1819, the University of Cincinnati it is one of the oldest institutions of higher education in the United States and enrolls more than 50,000 students across undergraduate, graduate, and professional programs. UC is widely known for its cooperative education (co-op) program, which integrates academic study with paid professional work experience in fields such as engineering, business, healthcare, and technology. The university is classified among R1 doctoral universities with very high research activity and offers programs across a wide range of disciplines through colleges including engineering, medicine, business, design, and the arts.
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.
Ms. Dees serves as a vice president of executive search at Greenwood Asher & Associates, where she leads nationwide executive searches for higher education institutions. Known for her expert consulting solutions, she excels in supporting the selection and onboarding processes, fostering the development and success of educational leaders. Her executive search expertise is enhanced by her prior roles, including her tenure as vice chancellor for equity and inclusion with the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities System, where she provided vital leadership on strategic initiatives such as the Equity 2030 imperative.
Related: Greenwood Asher & Associates Places Provost at George Mason University
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.
West Virginia University Search
Greenwood Asher & Associates recently assisted in the recruitment of Beverly Wendland as provost and vice president for academic affairs for West Virginia University (WVU). “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.
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.
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
