HARRISONBURG, Va. (ROCKTOWN NOW) – Charlie King has been appointed as James Madison University’s Interim President by the university’s Board of Visitors.

He previously served as JMU’s Senior Vice President of Administration and Finance for 25 years until his retirement in 2021. The Board of Visitors voted and approved his appointment Friday morning during their quarterly meeting.

King will succeed current president Jonathan Alger, who announced in March that he accepted a position as President of American University after 12 years at JMU. The interim president will start on July 1 until the university’s next president completes their transition.

During a livestream of Friday’s meeting, King said he’s ready to help make that transition seamless.

“I see my role as keeping the train on schedule,” King said. “You guys need to be hiring a new president and I know you’ll do a great job with that. I’m really looking forward to hitting the ground running.”

In a news release, current Rector Maribeth Herod said that King is uniquely qualified for the role after proving to be a proficient leader in the JMU community.

“This decision was thoughtful and done with great confidence knowing there will be a seamless transition of the university’s operations into Charlie’s leadership,” Herod said. “Just as importantly, his established relationships, knowledge of the institution and desire to continue JMU’s upward trajectory will aid greatly upon arrival of the new, incoming president.”

In the coming months, additional information will be provided surrounding the presidential transition, search committee, process and timeline.

In addition to the Interim President, the board voted and approved the other following appointments:

  • Suzanne Obenshain to serve as rector of the Board of Visitors.
  • Teresa “Terrie” Edwards to serve as vice rector of the Board of Visitors.
  • David Kirkpatrick, chief of staff, to serve as the board secretary.

The newly named rector and vice rector roles will take effect July 1 and the secretary to the board appointment will begin May 16.