Education: BRIAN O. HEMPHILL

 Hemphill is no stranger to building partnerships. After becoming Old Dominion University’s president in summer 2021, he helped forge a partnership between ODU, Norfolk State University and Eastern Virginia Medical School to create a regional school of public health. Later in the year, ODU, EVMS and Sentara Healthcare entered into an agreement to create a collaborative academic health center. There are also indications that EVMS may merge with ODU in the near future.

ODU’s first Black president, Hemphill was previously president of Radford University, where he negotiated a merger with the Jefferson College of Health Sciences and a partnership with Carilion Clinic to create Radford University Carilion. He also previously served as president of West Virginia State University.

Hemphill studied higher education administration at the University of Iowa, where he earned his doctorate. He also received degrees in journalism and organizational communications from Iowa State University of Science and Technology and Saint Augustine’s University.

In 2015, Hemphill co-edited the book “College in the Crosshairs: An Administrative Perspective on Prevention of Gun Violence.”