Biography
Dr. Kyle Marrero
Dr. Kyle Marrero began his tenure as Georgia Southern University’s president on April 1, 2019. As president, he leads the Eagle Nation, a Carnegie R2 institution, with over 26,100 students and 3,000 faculty and staff on three campuses – Statesboro, Savannah and Hinesville, Georgia – with instruction sites in Wexford, Ireland and Ft. Stewart/Hunter Army Education Center.
Under his direction, Georgia Southern has established a culture of high performance and evidence-based leadership focused on data-informed decision-making and communication transparency. Newly established in 2019 and now extended through 2026, the Institutional Strategic Plan, measured and assessed with key performance indicators (balanced scorecards) and a 90-day action assessment methodology is aligned with five main pillars: student success; teaching and research; inclusive excellence; operational efficiency, effectiveness and sustainability; and community engagement. This alignment has led to remarkable successes in recent years with the university seeing record-breaking numbers in private fundraising, faculty research expenditures/awards, graduation rates, degrees conferred, and annual economic impact to the region.
Marrero is directing transformational initiatives for the university including “Soaring to R1” – mapping the organizational alignment and institutional progress to gain Carnegie R1 status by 2027-28 – focusing on a Public Impact Research agenda emphasizing Logistic/Supply Chain Technology Solutions, Advanced Manufacturing, Holistic Wellness and Fitness, Coastal Resilience/Sustainability, and Community Vibrancy. Committed to producing Career Ready graduates that impact our region, the institution is supporting incubators/accelerators in Savannah (Savannah Logistics Innovation Center), Metter (agri-business), Hinesville (small business incubator), and Statesboro (the Business Innovation Group – BIG). In addition, the university has launched its first-ever comprehensive capital campaign, “Together We Soar” – the campaign for Georgia Southern with a goal to raise $125M by 2026.
Ensuring connection and impact to community, talent development and economic development, Dr. Marrero currently serves on the boards of the Georgia Chamber of Commerce, Junior Achievement of Georgia, the Statesboro-Bulloch County Chamber of Commerce, the Savannah Area Chamber of Commerce, World Trade Center Savannah, East Georgia Regional Medical Center, and leads the Regional Educational Collaboratives collaborating with Bulloch and Chatham Counties educational leadership with the goal of every high school graduate being Employed, Enrolled, or Enlisted. Marrero is currently the Vice President/President Elect of the Sun Belt Conference CEOs, and has been named seven times, from 2015-2023, as one of Georgia Trend’s “100 Most Influential Georgians.”
Service to the University System of Georgia has included assigned leadership to the USG’s Comprehensive Administrative Review as Chair of the Steering Committee and Member of the University System of Georgia’s COVID-19 Initial Return and Reopening Presidential Taskforce. Most recently, Marrero was part of a four USG Presidential Team to update the USG Strategic Plan through 2029 including developing key performance indicators to inform scorecard dashboards and has served on USG working groups for Shared Services optimization, BOR Policy and Budget Flexibility, USG Sector Alignment, and USG President’s Retreat planning committees.
Before arriving at Georgia Southern University, Dr. Marrero was president of the University of West Georgia (UWG) from 2013-19, during which the institution achieved record enrollment, graduation rates, degrees conferred, fundraising, and annual economic impact. The institution won the 2015 American Association of State Colleges and Universities national award for innovation and excellence. Prior to his appointment at West Georgia, he held positions as vice president for university advancement at the University of West Florida (UWF), director of the School of Fine Arts and chair of the music department at UWF, associate professor of voice at Louisiana State University, and artistic director of Pensacola Opera.
He holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Michigan and a bachelor’s and master’s in vocal performance from Bowling Green State University. His background in the arts has taken him to 10 countries as an artistic ambassador for the United States Embassies and 40 states as a singer, stage director, and artistic director. He has been married to nationally acclaimed opera singer Dr. Jane Redding for 28 years and they are blessed with a 14-year-old daughter, Lily.
Last updated: 2/20/2024