Mary Beth Walker, the associate provost for strategic initiatives and Innovation at Georgia State University, will be interim president of Georgia Gwinnett College, officials announced Thursday.

Walker will take the helm, effective Saturday. The current president, Stanley C. “Stas” Preczewski, is leaving to lead Riverside Military Academy. His last day is Friday.

The Parker Executive Search firm will conduct interviews with potential candidates in February, search committee members have said on the college’s website. Georgia Gwinnett College, in Lawrenceville, has about 12,500 students.

At Georgia State, Walker has been involved in efforts to prepare a more diverse pool of undergraduate students for graduate and professional school, University System of Georgia officials said. She’s also been engaged in efforts to encourage student entrepreneurship across student majors.

Georgia Gwinnett is one of four University System institutions with either no one permanently in the president’s chair or with a president who has announced retirement plans. The University System announced Wednesday that University of West Georgia President Kyle Marrero is the finalist for one of those vacancies, at Georgia Southern University.

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