After just a month in the role, Executive Vice President and Provost Don Leo is excited to welcome students back to campus. He joins the university from Athens, Georgia where he served as dean of University of Georgia’s College of Engineering.
Leo replaces Elizabeth Sayrs who served as EVPP for a three-year term, which was extended for a fourth year to support the presidential transition and allow time for the national search.
The Post: Tell us a little bit about yourself.
Leo: I've been in higher education for a little over 25 years, and interestingly enough, I actually started my academic career here in the state of Ohio. I was a faculty member at the University of Toledo for a couple years, and then moved to Virginia Tech. I'm an engineer by education.
I did my undergraduate studies at the University of Illinois in aerospace engineering, and then I went to the University of Buffalo for my Master's and PhD in mechanical engineering.
Virginia Tech, I was in the mechanical engineering department. I came in as an assistant professor and worked my way up through the ranks, doing research and teaching and service.
Towards the end of that time at Virginia Tech I took on some leadership roles. I was the Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Studies in their college of engineering. In my last couple years at Virginia Tech, I was their vice president for what they called their national capital region, which was their facilities that were up around Washington D.C.
Being a vice president kind of took me away from the academic side of the house. I really didn't like that, honestly, so I thought trying to find a Dean's role would be a great next step in my career. I ended up joining the University of Georgia in 2013, and I was the dean of the College of Engineering there from 2013 until June 30 of this year. The college that I led was only a year old, so it was an interesting opportunity to help grow a college.
TP: Why did you decide to come back to Ohio? What drew you to this position and what are you most looking forward to?
Leo: As a dean for a number of years, you start thinking about ‘what are the next steps?,’ and in academia, a common next step from being a dean is to be a provost. I'm just fundamentally a believer in public higher education. I've been at public institutions my whole career, so as I look to my next step, I really wanted to focus on public institutions of higher education.
OU really became interesting to me the more I learned about the institution, history and place, not only in Southeast Ohio but also across the state, nation and the world. That really excited me to be part of the legacy that's been here at the institution for over 200 years.
TP: What are you bringing from your previous role as a dean, working specifically with engineers, to working with students all across campus? What are you doing to ensure that you're representing and uplifting all of the students on campus?
Leo: I've seen a lot of different sides of the academic enterprise. I've seen how different types of institutions operate. One thing I didn’t mention earlier is I actually took a leave and went to work for the federal government for a couple years as a program manager at the Defense Advanced Research Project Agency.
That really opened my eyes to the impact that research and scholarship can have, not just in my discipline, but in other disciplines, as well. It also really opened my eyes to the importance of interdisciplinary and collaborative teaching, research and scholarship, which is something that's really informed me throughout my career.
TP: What solidified your opinion and made you firm in your decision to come to Ohio University? Were there any people, were there any experiences that stand out in your mind during that process?
Leo: It was really when I first visited campus, and as you alluded to, it was the people that I met. When you become a dean or a provost or president, a lot of (the decision) is around, are you the right person for that institution, and is the institution the right institution for that individual. When I came and visited, I just felt that those things really matched.
TP: Let's talk about some of the positive influences you want to have on campus. What are you hoping to implement or build on?
Leo: I think a lot of my work personally, and the work in the Provost Office is going to be executing the plan that has been developed over the last year. It's critical for me as Provost to come in and work with the president, work with faculty, staff and students, and other leaders on campus to execute that process.
TP: OU has a 200 year history --- we've got lots of tradition going. Are there any traditions or any events that you are particularly looking forward to in this coming year?
Leo: I'm looking forward to seeing the athletic spirit that's on campus. I came from an institution that obviously where football games, basketball games, those parts of the campus experience were a big part of the student experience.
I've always liked being part of college towns because it's great to see a community where the activities within the community are just so intertwined with the campus and vice versa. My family and I like that. When we were in Blacksburg, when we were in Georgia we took part in those. It'll be fun to participate in them here.
TP: What word would you use to describe your leadership style?
Leo: I'd say my leadership style is collaborative but decisive. I think it's important as a leader to reach out and get other people's opinions about important decisions that have to be made. In the end, as a dean or as a provost, you have to make the decisions and carry through with them and be responsible for them.
I'm really excited to see the students come back in a few weeks, right? It's been nice because I've been able to get to see campus. I've visited all the colleges. I've gotten to know a lot of my colleagues, but I think campus is going to be totally transformed when the students come back.
I really want to engage with students in a lot of different ways. I have plans to meet with different student groups, attend student events.
I think as provost, I want to get to know the students, get to know the culture here. What students what to get out of their experience here and that'll inform me and everything that I do as provost.
Everything that I do as provost is to make our students as successful as possible in the time that they're here and in the time after they leave Ohio University.
