Hiring the President

The week, the Board of Regents will appoint one of two finalists as the 17th President of Iowa State University. This will mark the conclusion of a months-long process to find the successor to President Wendy Wintersteen, who announced her intent to retire last May.

The process began shortly after Wintersteen’s announcement when the Board selected AGB Search from Washington, D.C. to assist with the process. AGB Search previously assisted the Board in searches that produced University of Iowa President Barbara Wilson in 2021, President Wintersteen in 2017 and University of Northern Iowa President Mark Nook in 2016.

In June, the Board announced a 12-member Presidential Search Committee chaired by Regent JC Risewick and ISU Faculty Senate President Meghan Gillette. The committee was charged with identifying finalists for the Board’s consideration.

During the course of four meetings from July to late October, the committee considered candidates and narrowed the pool to eight semi-finalists. Of those semi-finalists, four finalists were selected for on-campus interviews and open forums. After two finalists withdrew, the candidate pool was narrowed to Cornell University Dean of Agriculture and Life Sciences Benjamin Houlton, and North Dakota State University President David Cook.

On Tuesday, the Board will conduct final interviews with both Houlton and Cook and appoint the next president of ISU that afternoon.