Presidential Search

The search is underway to find the seventh president of Eckerd College to succeed President James J. Annarelli, Ph.D., who announced he will retire from the position on June 30, 2027.

An Eckerd College experience is not about learning a rigid set of facts. As one of only 45 colleges and universities in the U.S. to be a featured member of Colleges That Change Lives and a member of Phi Beta Kappa, Eckerd makes it clear that its first priority is to teach students how to learn.

Eckerd, a private college of liberal arts and sciences in St. Petersburg, invites students to Think Outside. We take advantage of our spectacular mile of campus waterfront along Florida’s Gulf Coast for outdoor laboratories as well as an impressive array of intramural, club and intercollegiate (Division II) sports and water recreation. Offerings in the arts, humanities and sciences inspire creativity and foster critical thinking and self-awareness. Every year, students and faculty travel outside the U.S. to some 40 countries for research and cultural learning. And we venture together in the Eckerd experience to think outside the conventional questions, methods and solutions—seeking to build a better world.

The best education is one that prepares you for the how, as well as the what—an education that teaches you to Think Outside.

Presidential search firm

The nationally recognized executive search firm Isaacson, Miller will assist the search committee and the board by managing the search process and actively recruiting a deep, diverse candidate pool. With more than half of their work devoted to university and college leadership, Isaacson, Miller is one of the largest and most diverse higher education executive search practices in the United States. The firm has placed presidents, provosts, and deans into the country’s leading colleges and universities, and they have recently conducted presidential searches for Amherst College, Bates College, Hamilton College, Middlebury College, New York University, Tufts University, and University of Michigan, among others.

Eckerd’s search will be led by Kate Barry, a managing partner who has served on over 50 presidential search teams, half of which she has led. She will be joined by Karen McPhedran, a managing associate, and Kristen Andersen, a senior associate, both of whom have extensive experience on searches in the higher education practice.

If you believe you have observed someone who possesses the skills that would make them an outstanding candidate, or if you would like to apply for consideration yourself, the committee welcomes your nominations and submissions through Isaacson, Miller’s website.