At a West Liberty University Board of Governors meeting, Dr. Cathy Monteroso was named interim president. She will take over after the current president W. Franklin Evans’ contract expires at the end of the year.
During a regularly scheduled hybrid in-person and Zoom meeting, the West Liberty University Board of Governors voted to name Dr. Cathy Monteroso as the interim president of the school. Dr. Monteroso will be the first woman ever to serve as president of West Liberty University.
After the meeting was called to order and most of its planned agenda covered, Chairman Rich Lucas requested a motion to retire to executive session. The motion passed unanimously. About a half hour later, the board returned from executive session and declared that Dr. Cathy Monteroso was the board’s choice for interim president of the school. The motion was passed 11-0 with one board member being absent from the meeting.
Dr. Monteroso was quoted in an article on the school’s website on her appointment, saying, “I am very humbled that I have been asked to serve West Liberty University as its interim president. I am thrilled to help lead this university, which I consider positioned to thrive. I believe we are the best regional university in the state of West Virginia and we need to continue to live up to that standard.”
The appointment will run between January 1, 2023 for six months through June 30, 2023, as long as the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission approves of it.
Dr. Monteroso has worked for West Liberty University for 13 years so far. Her first job was as a member of the faculty, she was then named dean of the College of Education and Human Performance before finally serving as interim provost and vice president of Academic Affairs most recently. S he has served in that position since January of this year.
She received her undergraduate degree at East Tennessee State University before going on to earn her master’s degree from Azusa Pacific University, and finally earning her doctoral degree from Northcentral University.
Dr. Monteroso is married to West Liberty University’s Football Defensive Coordinator Coach, Jeff Monteroso, and together they have three children, Claire, Dan, and Mike. They live in St. Clairsville, Ohio.
The Monterosos are grandparents to a granddaughter, Mae, who is the child of Dan and his wife Brooke. Dan went to West Liberty University and plays professional basketball in Germany as part of the ProA League.
The current president W. Franklin Evans will finish out the rest of the year before his contract expires on December 31.
More information about West Liberty University can be found at the school’s website.