The University of Iowa community will see new faces in the roles of senior vice president and treasurer in January 2015.
Doug True, who has held the two positions since 1991 and 1988, respectively, will retire from the UI early next year.
“There is no better employer [than the UI], and where else can a person serve students, patients, and faculty all in one place?” True said. “It is time for my responsibilities to pass to others who can give the attention and long hours that are required.”
Having served the UI for 27 years, True said, he is sad to leave.
“It is always a bit sad to leave a job and colleagues that have given so much satisfaction, but we all must do that and pick the right time to do that,” he said. “For me, it is now.”
True has also held positions with the state Board of Regents, as its director of business, and with natural resources and environmental organizations.
“Doug True is an outstanding leader with a long history of distinguished service to the University of Iowa and the state of Iowa,” UI spokesman Tom Moore said. “All of us fortunate to call him our colleague have long relied on his deep knowledge of the institution, his keen insight, and wise counsel.”
His ties to the UI go back further than his jobs; he earned a bachelor’s degree in chemistry in 1971 from the UI.
True’s jobs will be given to two other administrators on an interim basis while a search to fill the spots permanently is conducted.
Rod Lehnertz, the director of planning, design, and construction for UI Facilities Management, will take the position of interim vice president for Finance and Operations. Terry Johnson, an associate vice president and university controller, will become interim university chief financial officer and treasurer.
“I feel very honored that President Mason has the confidence in me to be able to do this interim appointment,” Johnson said. “It’s going to give me an opportunity to see the university in new ways.”
Lehnertz and Johnson will begin their interim positions in 2015.
“Rod Lenhertz and Terry Johnson are each talented individuals who are excellent choices for these interim appointments,” True said. “They will do very well in the roles that President Mason has assigned to them.”
The interim positions are necessary at this time because of the need to maintain continuity of $750 million in flood-recovery activities and a host of financial and programmatic initiatives that are currently underway, according to an email from Mason sent to students, faculty, and staff announcing True’s coming retirement.
Johnson said he was surprised to learn of the changes coming to the university after working with True for 21 years.
“It’s quite surprising to me, as it probably was to most people who work with him,” he said. “But I know everybody is wishing him the best of luck in his retirement.”
