Dean at Florida International University Tabbed as Priority Candidate to Lead UNO

University of Nebraska President Ted Carter announced Wednesday a dean at Florida International University has been named the priority candidate to serve as the next chancellor at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. Dr. Joanne Li would become the first woman of color to serve as UNO chancellor and the first Asian-American in the history of the University of Nebraska system to hold an executive leadership role. She’s currently the dean, professor of finance and Ryder Eminent Scholar Chair in Business in the College of Business at Florida International University in Miami. President Carter called Dr. Li’s addition a historic hire.

“We are very fortunate here in Nebraska that we attracted an incredibly diverse, talented pool of candidates from which to pick,” Carter said. “I could not be more excited to know that Dr. Li is going to be the future chancellor at UNO and we should be excited for the future of Omaha.”

A 30-day vetting period now begins and Carter hopes to have Li in place at UNO by July 1st. The vetting period will include a series of public sessions where the community can meet Dr. Li. She’ll replace outgoing chancellor Dr. Jeffrey Gold, who will take on a new role as executive vice president and provost for the University of Nebraska system. Dr. Li was a first-generation college student who was chosen as the priority candidate to lead UNO by a 14-member advisory committee after a series of listening sessions.