Eastern Michigan University has named two-time alum and Flint native Dr. Brendan Kelly to be its next president.
Kelly returns to Ypsilanti from Arkansas State University, where he has been president since 2024.
He and his wife Tressa met as students on the EMU campus. Kelly says they’re both delighted to be coming home.
“Tress and I have had the privilege of living in a lot of places around the United States and communities that have welcomed us. We’ve made many of them feel like home, but it’s a totally different thing when you actually come home.”
The Presidential Search Advisory Committee included members of the Ypsilanti community and from across the campus.
Kelly will officially join EMU on March 1 as president-elect. He will take over for the retiring Dr. James Smith on May 4.
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