By Tom Latek
Kentucky Today
The University of Louisville Board of Trustees on Monday named Lori Stewart Gonzalez, Ph.D., interim president, to succeed Neeli Bendapudi, who has accepted a position as president at Penn State University.
A native of Rockcastle County, Gonzalez has served as UofL executive vice president and university provost since April 2021.
Lois Stewart Gonzalez
Prior to coming to UofL, Gonzalez served as the vice chancellor for academic, faculty, and student affairs at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center in Memphis, a post she had held since 2015. Prior to that role, she had held academic and administrative positions at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, the University of Kentucky, and Appalachian State University, where she served as provost and executive vice chancellor for three years.
In addition, she served as special advisor to the senior vice president for academic affairs at the University of North Carolina General Administration, the North Carolina public higher education authority.
“I am humbled to step into this leadership role at a time when our university has tremendous momentum,” Gonzalez said. “Our students are flourishing; our faculty are changing lives; our staff members are performing at an extraordinary level; and our passionate and loyal supporters, alumni, and fans have never been more committed to elevating the University of Louisville.”
In her first act as interim president, Gonzalez appointed deputy athletic director Josh Heird as interim director of athletics, effective immediately. He has been deputy AD since 2019.
Heird replaces Vince Tyra, who also announced his resignation last week, the same day as Bendapudi. While Tyra was rumored to be headed to Florida State University as Athletic Director there, the school announced last week they had hired Michael Alford, the President and CEO of Seminole Boosters, and a former AD at Central Michigan, to take over the post on Jan. 3.
