Establishment of the Presidential Search Committee for the Next UB President

NASSAU, BAHAMAS – The Board of Trustees (BOT) of University of The Bahamas (UB) announced today the establishment of the Presidential Search Committee (PSC), which will oversee the rigorous and comprehensive search for UB’s next president. The executive search firm, AGB Search, is supporting this process.

As President (Acting) Janyne Hodder’s tenure concludes in June 2025, the Board’s objective is to ensure a seamless transition in leadership, beginning with a national and international search.

The PSC, comprising ten (10) members, includes representatives from UB, key stakeholders, and the broader public, all of whom recognise UB’s crucial role in national development and helping to lead the transformation of our nation. This diverse composition of the PSC ensures broad perspectives are considered for a thorough and inclusive selection process. Feedback from faculty, staff, students, alumni, and the public will be integral to this effort.

The members of the PSC are:
1. Mrs. Allyson Maynard-Gibson KC, Board Chair;
2. Mr. Gadville McDonald, Board Vice Chair;
3. Mrs. Debi Williams, Trustee;
4. Mr. Henry St. George, Trustee;
5. Mrs. Jazmine Romer-Rolle, Alumni Representative, President, Alumni Association;
6. Dr. Marie Sairsingh, Academic Senate Representative, Senator;
7. Ms. Chante Deal, Student Representative, President, Student Government Association;
8. Mr. Timothy Ingraham, Bahamas Chamber of Commerce and Employers Confederation Representative;
9. Mr. Gowon Bowe, National Development Plan Secretariat Representative;
10. A person nominated by the Inter-American Development Bank to serve as the micro-credentialing sector representative.

Mrs. Maynard-Gibson and Mr. McDonald will serve as Co-Chairs of the PSC.

The PSC’s terms of reference are to develop a statement of desired qualifications for the new President to guide the search and selection, adopt a timeline for the process and conduct an expansive national and international search with the assistance of AGB Search to attract highly qualified candidates. To this end, a Presidential Profile document will be developed to provide potential candidates with essential information about UB’s trajectory and details of the search process. This document will be a crucial tool in recruiting prospective candidates. Listening sessions will also be held with members of the UB community and the wider public on a national level, including Grand Bahama and the Family Islands, to garner their insights and feedback.

The PSC is also charged with selecting a pool of preferred candidates for interviews as semi-finalists and thereafter selecting finalists for interviews. Upon the completion of the interview phase, each finalist will be invited to visit the Oakes Field Campus to meet with the PSC and participate in open forums and other events with stakeholders. The Board of Trustees will select the next President.

Comprehensive information on the search process, timelines, and opportunities for engagement and feedback will be disseminated across all university channels and through media outlets. A dedicated landing page on UB’s website will be launched, and a specific email address, pressearch@ub.edu.bs, has been established for submitting feedback.

In UB’s new and promising era of growth and development, our focus remains on quality improvement and establishing new standards of excellence throughout the institution which fuel our noble mission of supporting and driving national development. Impeccable leadership is crucial to this sustained progress.