Roderick J. McDavis

Dr. Roderick (Rod) J. McDavis became the Managing Principal of AGB Search in 2017, after serving as President of Ohio University for 13 years. Dr. McDavis is responsible for leading and managing all components of AGB Search including Executive Search, Interim Search, Executive Coaching, and ExecComp, the firm's compensation evaluation service.  

Representative Executive Searches

  • Miami Dade College – President
  • University of Minnesota – President
  • University of Nebraska – President
  • University of Wisconsin-Madison – Chancellor 

Experience and Honors

Dr. McDavis was the first African American President of Ohio University and only the second alumnus to lead the university during its 214-year history. His contributions included assisting in the development of the state of Ohio’s technology commercialization implementation plan, the state’s first guaranteed tuition plan – the Ohio Guarantee™ – and the first-of-its-kind performance-based funding model in the nation. He developed and implemented Ohio University’s comprehensive strategic plan and was instrumental in the success of The Promise Lives Campaign, which raised over half a billion dollars in support of students and programs. Dr. McDavis was named the 2016 Alumnus of the Year by the Ohio University Alumni Association, and he received the 2016 Diversity and Inclusion Medal of Excellence from Ohio University’s Office of Diversity and Inclusion.

He has held various academic and administrative positions at the University of Florida, the University of Arkansas, Virginia Commonwealth University, and Ohio University. Dr. McDavis served as chair of the Inter-University Council of Ohio, The Interlink Alliance, and the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I Committee on Academics. He also was a member of the of NCAA Board of Governors, the NCAA Division I Board of Directors, and the Ohio Third Frontier Advisory Board. 

Education

  • B.S. degree in social sciences in secondary education from Ohio University
  • M.S. degree in student personnel administration from the University of Dayton 
  • Ph.D. in counselor education from the University of Toledo