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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowEli Lilly and Co. executive Ora Hirsch Pescovitz is leaving the company to become president of Oakland University in suburban Detroit.
The school on Thursday announced that its board of trustees unanimously chose Pescovitz for the job after a search involving more than 60 candidates. She'll begin the new job July 1.
Pescovitz, 60, has been senior vice president at Eli Lilly and U.S. medical leader for Lilly Bio-Medicines since 2014.
The former CEO of Riley Hospital for Children is a a pediatric endocrinologist and researcher who has published more than 190 manuscripts and books.
At the University of Michigan, she was the health system CEO for five years (2009-14) overseeing billions in revenue and research funding.
Pescovitz led Riley, which is part of the Indiana University School of Medicine and the IU Health hospital system, from 2004 to 2009. From 2000 to 2009, she was head of research at the IU medical school. She spent a total of 21 years working at the IU medical school.
Oakland University is a public university founded in 1957. Its enrollment has doubled over the past two decades, to about 20,000.
In September, the school's governing board said it wouldn't renew President George Hynd's contract. The final choice for new president came down to Pescovitz and former Kelly Services CEO Carl Camden.
Pescovitz is expected to sign a five-year contract with Oakland worth $457,500 per year.
She attended Northwestern University and also worked at the University of Minnesota.
In 2007, Pescovitz was a finalist to become president of Indiana University, but current IU President Michael McRobbie was selected for the job.
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