Communications

Organizational enhancements and leadership transitions

Dear Colleagues,

During the past five months, I have met with hundreds of faculty, staff, students, alumni, donors, trustees and community leaders. Those conversations have reinforced my confidence in USF’s momentum and the extraordinary opportunities that lie ahead.

They have also reaffirmed my belief that as we pursue even bolder aspirations, we must ensure that our leadership, organizational structure and resources align with our strategic priorities.

Today, I am announcing several organizational and leadership transitions that are intended to build on our strong foundation and further position USF to achieve even greater excellence in education, research, innovation and service.

ORGANIZATIONAL ENHANCEMENTS

Office of Research

Research is central to who we are and essential to achieving our aspiration of becoming the nation's leading metropolitan research university.

Our national search for a vice president for research will continue. However, because of the central role that research plays in USF's future, the position will report directly to me. This leader will guide USF toward our goal of reaching $1 billion in annual research awards, expanding our research impact, strengthening innovation and technology transfer and fostering a world-class research enterprise where our faculty and students solve society's most pressing challenges.

National Security Enterprise

USF has built a nationally recognized enterprise spanning national security, applied research and cybersecurity. As global challenges become increasingly complex, we have an opportunity to further strengthen this area through greater organizational alignment and collaboration.

Over the past four years, Gen. Frank McKenzie has played a transformational role in advancing USF's national security initiatives. Under his leadership of both the Global and National Security Institute and Cyber Florida, USF has strengthened strategic partnerships, expanded its national profile and further established itself as a trusted leader in these important fields. We are deeply grateful for his visionary leadership, distinguished service and lasting contributions to USF, and we wish him every success as he begins his tenure as president of The Citadel.

To build on the foundation that Gen. McKenzie laid, we are bringing together GNSI and the USF Institute of Applied Engineering (IAE) under a unified leadership and operational structure. This will strengthen collaboration among faculty, students and defense-sector partners while enabling USF to respond more quickly to emerging national security priorities. Taylor Johnston will serve as president and chief executive officer of the IAE and executive director of GNSI.

Taylor has served as chief operating officer of the IAE for the past three years, where he built strong partnerships with federal agencies, the defense industry and national security organizations. A U.S. Air Force veteran and former chief of innovation for the 6th Air Refueling Wing at MacDill Air Force Base, he is uniquely positioned to lead USF's unified national security enterprise.

Cybersecurity touches nearly every aspect of our university. To fully leverage USF's breadth of expertise, Cyber Florida will report directly to Provost Prasant Mohapatra’s office, ensuring close collaboration across all colleges and units. This organizational alignment reinforces our commitment to a One USF approach that integrates research, education, workforce development and strategic partnerships to advance cybersecurity innovation and address the evolving needs of Florida and the nation.

I am pleased to announce that Sriram Chellappan has been appointed executive director of Cyber Florida.

Sriram is a professor in the Bellini College of Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity and Computing, and a nationally recognized scholar whose research spans cybersecurity, artificial intelligence and cyber-physical systems. He brings a distinguished record of research, innovation and interdisciplinary collaboration as Cyber Florida enters its next chapter of growth and statewide impact.

LEADERSHIP TRANSITIONS

Leadership transitions are a natural part of the evolution of every great university, creating opportunities to build on a strong foundation while preparing for the future.

University Communications and Marketing

I want to thank Dan Caterinicchia for his leadership and contributions to USF. We appreciate his service to the university and wish him well in the future. We will launch a national search for a chief marketing officer and vice president for University Communications and Marketing. In the meantime, Adam Freeman has been appointed interim chief marketing officer and vice president while the search is underway. 

Office of Strategic Partnerships

I am deeply grateful to Senior Vice President Eric Eisenberg for his exceptional leadership, wise counsel and unwavering commitment to USF. Throughout his distinguished career, Eric has strengthened our strategic partnerships, expanded our national engagement and advanced initiatives that will benefit our university for years to come.

As part of our broader effort to align our leadership and organizational structure with USF’s long-term priorities, we will use this opportunity to thoughtfully evaluate how the Office of Strategic Partnerships can best support the university’s next phase of growth and impact. Eric has graciously agreed to continue serving as senior vice president through the fall semester, providing continuity and leadership during this transition. Beginning in January, he will take a professional leave before returning to the faculty, where I know he will continue making important contributions through his scholarship, teaching and mentorship.

Sarasota-Manatee

As we continue the planned transition from operating a full campus to an academic teach-out site, Jean Kabongo has been appointed to lead the Sarasota-Manatee teach-out site during this next phase of the transition.

I want to express my sincere appreciation to Brett Kemker for his leadership as interim regional chancellor. Brett will now move from his leadership role and continue contributing through his teaching, scholarship and support of USF's accreditation and dual enrollment programs before returning to the faculty in Fall 2027.

Please join me in thanking Gen. Frank McKenzie, Dan Caterinicchia, Eric Eisenberg and Brett Kemker for their outstanding leadership and enduring contributions to the University of South Florida.

Great universities never stand still. The world around us is changing rapidly, and if we expect USF to lead, not simply keep pace, we have to evolve just as quickly. The changes announced today reflect our commitment to ensuring that USF's leadership, talent and organizational structure are fully aligned with our bold aspirations. 

I remain optimistic about what lies ahead, and I look forward to building that future with all of you.

Sincerely,

Moez Limayem, PhD
President