Eastern Names New President with Deep EMU Roots

Photo: Eastern Michigan University President-Elect Dr. Brendan Kelly. Courtesy of EMU

Eastern Michigan University has selected one of its own to lead the institution into its next chapter. Dr. Brendan Kelly, a two-time EMU graduate with a long career in higher education leadership, has been elected the University’s 24th president. He will return to Ypsilanti on March 1, 2026 as president-elect and officially take over when President James Smith retires in May.

Kelly is currently president of the Arkansas State University System. His career has included work in public service, community engagement, and major institutional transitions. His election followed a nationwide search for Smith’s successor.

During his tenure at ASU, Kelly oversaw enrollment growth efforts, strengthened the system’s financial footing, and expanded community partnerships across Arkansas. Before that, he served as president of the University of West Georgia, where he led a shift from NCAA Division II to Division I, saw record enrollment growth, and advanced academic innovation.

He also held senior roles in South Carolina, including Interim President of the University of South Carolina in 2019 and Chancellor of USC Upstate from 2017–2020. There, he helped launch a university-wide brand platform and a recruiting effort that delivered the highest enrollment in the institution’s history.

Kelly’s connection to Eastern runs deep. Before his years in Florida and the Southeast, he worked at EMU as Assistant Director of Forensics and as a lecturer in communication and theatre arts. He earned both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees at Eastern before completing his Ph.D. at Wayne State University.

EMU Board of Regents Chair Nate Ford said Kelly’s career reflects the kind of leadership needed now. “Dr. Kelly brings vision, resilience and a collaborative spirit. We are confident he will guide Eastern with clarity and courage as higher education navigates one of its most transformative eras.” He added that Kelly will “build on that strong foundation, bringing fresh energy and vision to help us expand innovation, elevate student success and deepen our impact across Michigan.”

Kelly said returning to EMU carries personal meaning. “I am deeply honored to serve as the next president of Eastern Michigan University,” he said. “This work is personal to me. Ypsilanti and EMU are where many of the seeds for success were sown in my life… I believe deeply in the mission of this university and of the transformative impact of higher education, and I will fight every day to tell our story, elevate and strengthen our impact and continually earn the public’s trust.”

Kelly and his wife, Dr. Tressa Kelly, also a two-time EMU alumna and longtime educator, will be welcomed at a campus reception Dec. 10. His five-year contract, beginning on May 4, includes a salary of $520,000.