Pastides announces new leadership posts



The University of South Carolina announced Monday the hiring for three system leadership positions, including chancellor of USC Upstate; vice president for information technology and chief information officer; and, secretary of the university and Board of Trustees.

Brendan Kelly becomes the sixth chancellor of USC Upstate. He is currently vice president for advancement at the University of West Florida, where he has led the units of University Marketing and Communications, Alumni Relations, Development, Community Engagement and more. Kelly earned a bachelor’s degree in public relations and a master’s degree in communications from Eastern Michigan University, and a doctorate in rhetoric and political communication from Wayne State University in Detroit. The Spartanburg school currently has a student enrollment of 6,000 and nearly 26,000 alumni. He will replace Mary Anne Fitzpatrick, who has been serving as interim chancellor at Upstate.

"I am excited about the opportunity to lead the University of South Carolina Upstate as its next chancellor,” Kelly said. “The university is poised to enhance its contribution to the higher education landscape of the USC system and the state of South Carolina. I am grateful to be part of the next chapter of growth and development at USC Upstate."

Also on Monday, Doug Foster was named vice president for information technology and CIO. Foster, who has served as associate vice president for IT and deputy CIO at Purdue University, has more than 25 years of experience in higher education and in private sector IT leadership roles. His experience includes enterprise portfolio management and business relationship management work, developing and implementing IT governance structures and leading a research computing organization. In addition, he has worked to implement IT security best practices and has led large organizations of technical and service staff. Foster suceeds Bill Hogue, who is retiring. 

"I am honored and excited to have the opportunity to serve the University of South Carolina. I look forward to working with President Pastides, university leadership, faculty, staff and students to build upon the foundation of success that is already in place," Foster said.

In addition, J. Cantey Heath Jr. was unanimously elected secretary of the university and of USC’s Board of Trustees. Heath currently serves as chief of staff and special assistant to the president. He began his career in the office of Alumni Relations in 1985, moving to Development in 1986 where he spent the next 23 years in various leadership capacities overseeing major gifts, capital gifts, constituency relations, supervising all college directors of development and ultimately serving as senior director of development. In 2006, he became the assistant vice president for advancement administration where he managed divisional operations. Heath was promoted to the Office of the President in April of 2009. He currently serves as the longtime secretary-treasurer of University Associates and as a member of the Administrative Council and the Executive Council. Heath is a USC graduate with a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in history. He replaces Amy Stone, who is retiring in January.

"It has been a privilege to serve the University of South Carolina for my entire professional life. My family and I are grateful for this exciting opportunity to support my alma mater," Heath said.


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