Background
Dr. Thomas C. Meredith recently retired as Commissioner of Higher Education for Mississippi’s university system of eight universities. In January 2002, Meredith was appointed Chancellor for the University System of Georgia, responsible for the state’s 34 public colleges and universities. Prior to this appointment Meredith served as Chancellor of the University of Alabama System, as well as President and professor of education at Western Kentucky University. He also was vice chancellor at the University of Mississippi. Meredith began his career as a high school teacher and later as a high school principal. He holds a B.A. from Kentucky Wesleyan College, an M.A. from Western Kentucky University, and Ed.D. from the University of Mississippi, and he completed the Institute for Educational Management at Harvard University and the Higher Education Roundtable at Oxford University.
Dr. Meredith holds two honorary doctorates and has been recognized by his alma maters for his achievements, including the naming of a building for him at Western Kentucky. He was inducted into the Alabama Academy of Honor and headed the governor’s task force on developing and implementing a long term strategic plan for economic development in that state.
Meredith serves on numerous educational and corporate boards. He was president of the National Association of System Heads (NASH), an organization comprised of the chief executive officers of the 52 public higher education systems in the United States. He was also chair of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU), the first head of a university system to serve in that capacity. Meredith has also served on the executive committee of the Southern Regional Educational Bard (SREB) and has served as the chair of the Council of Presidents in both Alabama and Kentucky.
Dr. Meredith consults in the areas of presidential mentoring, development and performance appraisal (over 70 presidents have reported to him); presidential compensation; leadership training; board development and self evaluation; board relations; and multi-institutional system matters.