Northern Kentucky University names its seventh president

HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. (WAVE) - Northern Kentucky University has a new president.

Dr. Cady Short-Thompson was selected as the university’s seventh president Wednesday morning in a unanimous vote by the NKU Board of Regents. She will begin leading the university in Oct. 2.

She currently serves as chief executive officer and executive director for a nonprofit in Cincinnati that focuses on educational equity and provides college preparatory programs.

Short-Thompson is not a stranger to the university community. From 1996 to 2010, she served in roles as a communication professor and and a department chair.

“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,” Short-Thompson said in an NKU release. “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.”

Back in January, NKU Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer Bonita Brown was selected as the university’s interim president. Brown was considered ineligible to become the university’s next permanent president since she agreed to serve as the interim.

The last time the university had a permanent president was when Dr. Ashish K. Vaidya served from July 1, 2018, to Dec. 19, 2022.