About
Rod McDavis, PhD brings more than 45 years of institutional leadership to his roles as interim managing director of AGB Consulting and managing principal of AGB Search. As a professor, dean, provost, university vice president, and university president, he is uniquely qualified to help higher education boards, trustees, and executives navigate their challenges.
Based on his experience as the first African American president of Ohio University and in his other leadership positions, McDavis is recognized as an authority on:
- Strategic planning
- Developing programs to increase diversity and educational opportunity
- Achieving environmental integrity and sustainability
- Establishing educational partnerships
- Designing and implementing funding models for university systems
- Establishing new institutions, divisions, departments, and related businesses
- Organizational, executive, and team development
McDavis applies his experience in these areas and the day-to-day management of large institutions to his engagements as an AGB consultant. His clients have included major public universities, university systems, HBCUs, and independent institutions.
Before assuming the presidency of Ohio University, McDavis served as provost and vice president for academic affairs at Virginia Commonwealth University; dean of the College of Education at the University of Florida; dean of the College of Education and Health Professions at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville; and associate dean of the graduate school and minority programs at the University of Florida. He served as a professor of education at the University of Florida, the University of Arkansas, and Virginia Commonwealth University.
Professional Credentials
McDavis earned his BS degree in social sciences in secondary education from Ohio University, his MS degree in student personnel administration from the University of Dayton, and his PhD in counselor education from the University of Toledo. He was elected to three terms as chair of the Ohio Inter-University Council. He served as chair of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I Committee on Academics. He was a member of the NCAA Board of Governors, the NCAA Division I Board of Directors, and the Ohio Third Frontier Advisory Board. He has received numerous awards for his work on diversity, sustainability, and institutional development.