The Shepherd University Board of Governors on Wednesday chose a hospital executive and alumna to be its next president.
After several meetings with candidates over the last month, Shepherd board members on Wednesday announced the hiring of Dr. Mary Hendrix, president and chief scientific officer of a hospital research institute in Chicago.
Board chairwoman Marcia Brand said in a statement that she is confident Hendrix will use her experience to advance the university "as a center of excellence, innovation and opportunity."
Hendrix, a native of Shepherdstown where the university is located, currently works for the Stanley Manne Children's Research Institute at Northwestern University's medical school. She is nationally recognized for her cancer research and has been a member of several prestigious health councils and boards.
University officials said Hendrix is the first Shepherd graduate to helm the school. She graduated in 1974 with a biology degree.
In a statement, she said she is excited to return to West Virginia and honored by the opportunity to improve the university.
Hendrix also is a George Washington University graduate and a Harvard Medical School fellow. She has been a faculty member or executive at the University of Arizona, University of California San Francisco, St. Louis University and the University of Iowa.
Hendrix will replace interim president Sylvia Manning, who stepped in earlier this year after former president Suzanne Shipley retired. Shipley left the school after eight years to become president of Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls, Texas.
Hendrix's selection will now go before the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission for final approval. The commission's next meeting is Nov. 20.
The university expects Hendrix to assume her new position in February. She will be the university's 16th president.
Reach Samuel Speciale at sam.speciale@wvgazettemail.com, 304-348-7939 or follow @samueljspeciale on Twitter.