Dr. Cady Short-Thompson has been appointed to serve as the seventh president of Northern Kentucky University.

The Board of Regents approved Short-Thompson’s appointment by unanimous vote at a packed Sept. 13 meeting, concluding a search process that began in March following the departure of the previous president Dr. Ashish Vaidya in 2022.

Dr. Short-Thompson will assume the role of president on October 2, 2023, according to the four-year agreement approved on Sept. 13.

“The Board has determined that Dr. Cady Short-Thompson has dedicated her career to leadership in education, scholarship and student success, and she possesses the experience and visions to lead our institutions as its seventh president,” Regent and Presidential Search Committee Chair Kara Williams read in the resolution that approved Short-Thompson’s appointment.

Short-Thompson worked at NKU beginning in 1996, according to her LinkedIn profile, where she served as a communications professor. She worked in multiple capacities at the university, including coordinator of public relations, graduate program director and department chair, until 2010.

Most recently, the new president served as the CEO and Executive Director of Breakthrough Cincinnati, a tuition free college preparatory program for high-need middle and high school students.

“I am ecstatic to return home to NKU, where my professional journey began, and to give back to the people and place that invested so fully in me,” expressed Short-Thompson about her joy and gratitude for this tremendous opportunity. “NKU’s values of excellence, engagement, student-centeredness, and belonging are deep in me and I am eager to serve alongside NKU’s talented faculty, staff, students, and alumni to lead this great institution forward. I love NKU and believe that it is entirely fitting that my first and final positions will be here.”

The Northerner will continue providing updates on this breaking news story.