Presidential Search

A Message from Suzanne Nora Johnson and David C. Bohnett, USC Board of Trustees

February 5, 2025

Dear Trojan Family,

We write to provide an update on the search and recruitment process for our next university president, and on important steps that are underway to build on USC’s momentum by ensuring continuity of leadership and a smooth transition at the end of this academic year.

We are beginning this process as many within the Trojan Family are still grappling with devastating losses or coping with the adverse effects of the wildfires. Our hearts are with all of you and your family members, and we will continue to do all we can to support you amid this tragedy.

Since President Carol Folt announced her retirement as president in November, we have been moved by the many conversations we have had with members of our Trojan Family expressing their gratitude for all she has done for USC. We thank President Folt for her visionary leadership and for steering the university through some of the most significant periods in its history. In addition to President Folt’s groundbreaking Presidential Moonshots, her unwavering commitment to students and reaching historic heights in research funding, she has developed an extraordinary team of academic and administrative leaders, all of whom will be enormous assets throughout this transition, positioning the university well for the future.

Presidential Search Committee

We have assembled a dedicated and accomplished team to serve on the USC Presidential Search Committee. The committee will be co-chaired by two members of the Board of Trustees who are also proud USC alumni: Carmen Nava and Mark Stevens. In addition to their deep roots and commitment to USC, Carmen and Mark are established leaders in business and in the community, and their wisdom and judgment – along with their strong belief in the benefits of collaboration – will be tremendous resources throughout the search and recruitment process. Under Carmen and Mark’s leadership, the committee will be comprised of distinguished individuals who bring a wide range of faculty, staff, student and alumni perspectives from across the Trojan Family. They possess deep institutional knowledge, an understanding of what makes USC so distinctive and, most essentially, a commitment and devotion to USC’s future and its continuing trajectory of being a force multiplier for good and excellence at scale.

As part of its advisory role, the committee will consolidate feedback from our community to define the characteristics we are seeking in our next president, and ultimately recommend a small number of highly qualified candidates to the Board of Trustees for interview and selection. They will work closely with Russell Reynolds Associates, one of the nation’s top leadership advisory and executive search firms, which has been retained to assist the committee in its search and recruitment efforts.

A list of the full committee can be found here.

USC Community Engagement

As we have done in prior searches, we will seek input from the many stakeholders in the Trojan Family and across the broader USC community. More information on this important part of our process, and additional ways to provide feedback and input on the search and recruitment process, will be provided soon.

As part of our committee’s commitment to keep the community informed, we have created a dedicated Presidential Search website. This site will serve as a resource for important information and updates. In the coming weeks, we will share more details through the website and direct communications with you.

Ensuring a Seamless Transition

To facilitate a seamless leadership transition this summer, and ensure continuity while our search committee engages in a thorough process to identify the next president, the Board of Trustees has appointed Beong-Soo Kim to serve as interim president following President Folt’s retirement as president on June 30, 2025.

Beong has served as USC’s senior vice president and general counsel since July 2020, advising the president and working closely with the Board of Trustees and senior academic and university leadership on a wide range of high priority and strategic issues. During this time, Beong has demonstrated impeccable character, strong and collaborative leadership and a broad understanding of our academic research and medical enterprises, as well as our athletics programs. He also possesses a deep commitment to the university’s academic, research and health care missions and our aspirations for excellence in all that we do. 

During his time at USC, Beong has consistently shown his commitment to members of the Trojan Family. He has built strong relationships with deans, faculty and staff across USC and Keck Medicine, earning respect from everyone. He will work closely with our superb roster of academic leaders, including our provost, senior vice president for health affairs and academic deans, who will continue to sustain and elevate our academic, research and clinical excellence. 

In order to dedicate all of his efforts to being a faithful steward of USC’s work and responsibilities throughout this transition, Beong will not be a candidate for the permanent position. Interim leadership of the Office of the General Counsel will be announced at a later date.

We are as optimistic as ever about USC’s future. We hope the plan we have developed for the search and recruitment process will lead to deeper connections and a renewed sense of unity within the Trojan Family. You can visit the Presidential Search website for information throughout this process. We look forward to updating you again in the coming months as the search progresses.

Always worth the repetition, we will, all together… Fight On!