Brooks Keel will be the 12th president of Georgia Southern University in Statesboro, the state Board of Regents announced Monday.

Keel, 53, is scheduled to begin in Jan. 1. He replaces current college president Bruce Grube, who is stepping down Dec. 31.

Keel is currently the vice chancellor for research and economic development at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge. He's also a professor of biological sciences.

University System of Georgia Chancellor Erroll Davis said Keel "brings tremendous academic credentials, understands our state challenges on all dimensions and has the experience to link industry and the academy together in creative and compelling ways.”

He referred to Keel as a "success story" for the university system, noting he's graduated from two of Georgia's colleges. Keel earned degrees from the Medical College of Georgia and Augusta College, which is now called Augusta State University.

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Fulton DA Fani Willis (center) with Nathan J. Wade (right), the special prosecutor she hired to manage the Trump case and had a romantic relationship with, at a news conference announcing charges against President-elect Donald Trump and others in Atlanta, Aug. 14, 2023. Georgia’s Supreme Court on Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2025, upheld an appeals court's decision to disqualify Willis from the election interference case against Trump and his allies. (Kenny Holston/New York Times)

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