CORPUS CHRISTI – The Texas A&M University System on Tuesday approved the appointment of Dr. Kelly Quintanilla, current Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, as interim president of A&M-Corpus Christi effective Jan. 1, 2017. The current president and CEO, Dr. Flavius Killebrew, announced his retirement last month and intends to step down as president at the end of the year.
“I am pleased that Dr. Quintanilla has agreed to be the interim president of Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi,” said John Sharp, Chancellor of the Texas A&M University System. “I am confident that she will provide the necessary leadership and guidance that will ensure a successful legislative session for this university.”
Quintanilla first joined A&M-Corpus Christi as an assistant professor in 1994, the first year that the university downward expanded to include freshman and sophomore classes, becoming a four-year comprehensive university. She is the first woman to serve as interim president at A&M-Corpus Christi.
“I have experienced first-hand, the enormous transformation and continued growth that this university has undergone from its early days as a comprehensive university to master’s granting, research doctoral granting, and now, as we are well on our way to achieving Emerging Research University status,” said Quintanilla. “I am honored and privileged to serve as A&M-CC’s interim president and thank Dr. Killebrew for his support and mentorship.”
Quintanilla has served as the chair of the Department of Communication and Theatre, and became the dean of the College of Liberal Arts in 2010. As dean, she launched the School of Arts, Media and Communication, serving as both college dean and school director until becoming provost
Quintanilla’s proven strength in leadership has successfully led her to work across disciplines and colleges.
“Dr. Quintanilla has been a champion for educational excellence across the board,” said Dr. Frank Pezold, Dean of the College of Science and Engineering at A&M-Corpus Christi. “In her various roles, she has been on the forefront of innovative ideas for both students and faculty, to include support for our Marine and Coastal Science, Engineering and other research and scholarly projects.”
In addition, she has extended the university’s mission and established relationships with the Corpus Christi community by serving as a consultant for many of the city’s major employers, such as the Port Authority of Corpus Christi, HEB, CHRISTUS Spohn Health System, the City of Corpus Christi and Driscoll Children’s Hospital, to name a few. In this capacity, Quintanilla has conducted communication audits, facilitated strategic planning, provided program assessments and developed and presented corporate trainings on a wide variety of topics.
Quintanilla received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Pittsburgh and a master’s degree and Ph.D. in communication from Pennsylvania State University.
