President Dr. George L. Hanbury to Step Down as President and CEO; Dr. Harry K. Moon, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, to Become President and CEO Effective January 1, 2025
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – At its September 21, 2023 meeting, Nova Southeastern University’s (NSU) Board of Trustees and President Dr. George Hanbury finalized plans for him to step down as president and CEO and continue to serve NSU in a new role as of January 1, 2025. At the same meeting, the Board voted unanimously for Harry K. Moon, M.D., currently NSU’s Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, to become NSU’s 7th President and CEO. Dr. Moon will begin his tenure as president, also on January 1, 2025.
The decision by the President and Board to make this announcement now gives the university and its executive leadership abundant time to implement a well-thought-out transition period to ensure the long-term success of the university, its students, faculty, staff, alumni, patients, partners and the communities it serves.
“George Hanbury has led Nova Southeastern University through years of unparalleled achievement. The university is financially sound and well on track to continue its rise to preeminence among national research universities,” said Mr. Charlie Palmer, Chair of NSU’s Board of Trustees. “We have recognized the strong and effective partnership between President Hanbury and Dr. Moon over these past five years and we see that promotion from within will serve the university’s best interest.
“Dr. Moon has contributed significantly to NSU’s growth and brings recognized strategic planning and vision to this role,” Palmer continued. “He can build upon President Hanbury’s considerable legacy and lead NSU to continue its rise to preeminence among national research universities. Having such a clear succession plan and process will ensure an intentional and effective transition at the executive level. We are confident this appointment will help ensure continuity, stability, and the fulfillment of NSU’s destiny.”
President Hanbury, who has served as president of Nova Southeastern University since 2010, will continue to serve NSU in a new role as Chancellor and creator of a new Institute of Citizenship, Leadership, and International Affairs.
“Serving the students, faculty and staff of this great university has been the most noble thing I have ever done in my life. My job became my passion at NSU, and because I loved what I was doing, I feel like I never worked a day. I love being president of the NSU family,” said Dr. Hanbury. “As my contract draws to an end, I’m blessed to be healthy and happy, and it’s time to prepare to pass the gavel to the next and seventh presidency of this fine institution.
“I’ve been considering and planning for this transition for some time now, and I couldn’t imagine a better successor than Harry Moon,” Dr. Hanbury continued. “When I recruited him to the senior leadership position of Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer – a position I held myself for 12 years at NSU before I became President – I had this kind of opportunity well in mind. We’ve worked well as collaborators and I strongly endorse Dr. Moon’s selection by the Board as NSU’s seventh President in order to continue the University’s measured progress toward preeminence. We will continue to work closely over the next 15 months so that I can impart the knowledge I have gained, and to seamlessly transition leadership responsibilities.”
Dr. Moon currently serves as NSU’s Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, a role he has held since July 2018. Additionally, Dr. Moon is Chief Operating Officer of NSU Health, a patient-centric integrated health care network encompassing the university’s many clinical operations. As NSU’s EVP/COO, he oversees the units of Innovation and Information Technology, Facilities and Public Safety, Business Services, Internal Audit, Environmental Health and Safety, Engagement Center, Regional Campus Administration, University Library, NSU Art Museum | Fort Lauderdale, and the Grande Oaks Golf Club.
“I am humbled and honored that NSU’s Board of Trustees and President Hanbury have placed their trust in me to be the next president to lead this extraordinary university,” said Dr. Moon. “President Hanbury has built a strong foundation for the university. It has been his vision and drive that has led us to our emergence as a preeminent national research university; my goal is to continue that upward trajectory. And, as it has been with Dr. Hanbury, my vision also starts with the core mission of the university: its students.
“My goal is to ensure NSU continues to provide a high-quality educational experience for all our students – K-12, undergraduate, graduate and professional – as we also continue to strengthen our fiscal foundations and endowment, and focus on strategic growth in our research, athletics and health care enterprise,” said Dr. Moon. “NSU is ready to take the next dynamic steps forward on its path to preeminence, and I am honored to be chosen to lead our next chapter.”
The university will begin a national search for the institution’s next Chief Operating Officer to prepare for the presidential transition that will take place as of January 1, 2025. Additionally, in alignment with these changes and in recognition of his many years of service as NSU’s fifth president, Chancellor Ray Ferrero Jr., J.D., will be granted the new title of President Emeritus.
BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION
George L. Hanbury II, Ph.D. has served as NSU’s President since 2010 and was also named CEO in 2011. Prior to his presidency, he was the university’s Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, a role he held for 12 years.
Before entering higher education administration, Dr. Hanbury led a successful 30-year career as City Manager of the cities of Fort Lauderdale, Fla.; Portsmouth, Va.; and Virginia Beach, Va. Dr. Hanbury holds a B.S. from Virginia Tech, an M.S. in Public Administration from Old Dominion University, and a Ph.D. in Public Administration from Florida Atlantic University.
One of Dr. Hanbury’s first accomplishments as president was to refocus NSU’s mission and vision, establishing eight core values – Integrity, Academic Excellence, Student Centered, Innovation, Opportunity, Scholarship/Research, Diversity and Community – which has guided the university into 2020 and beyond.
The successful completion of Vision 2020 transitioned into a new plan, Vision 2025:
By 2025, NSU will be recognized as a preeminent, professional-dominant, doctoral-research university that provides competitive career advantages to its students and produces alumni who serve and lead with integrity.
This new plan also includes raising a cumulative $1 billion in external research funding and philanthropic contributions since fiscal year 2010, which is already at 87% of its goal. Recent accomplishments toward fulfilling Vision 2025 include earning specialized accreditation in medicine and business programs and partnering with HCA Florida to establish a state-of-the-art teaching hospital adjacent to NSU’s Fort Lauderdale Campus.
Under his leadership, NSU became one of only 59 universities in the nation to hold the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching’s dual designation of both “Community Engaged” and “High Research Activity.” In addition, NSU became only the third university to have two medical schools – a College of Osteopathic Medicine (DO) and a College of Allopathic Medicine (MD).
Harry K. Moon, M.D. was named Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of the University in July 2018. He is also the COO of NSU Health, a patient-centric integrated health care network encompassing the university’s many clinical operations. He joined NSU following a distinguished career in numerous executive positions for Cleveland Clinic Florida.
Prior to joining NSU, Dr. Moon has been instrumental in the development of medical, research and educational programs in South Florida for the past 25 years. As Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Cleveland Clinic Florida from 1997 to 2003, Dr. Moon led the initial efforts to establish a fully integrated academic medical center in South Florida at a time of dramatic change in the nation’s healthcare delivery system. Preceding his appointment as CEO of Cleveland Clinic Florida, Dr. Moon was a staff physician and Chair of the Department of Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery for the Cleveland Clinic Health System, and member of the Cleveland Clinic Board of Governors and the Board of Trustees of Cleveland Clinic Foundation.
###
Be sure to sign up for NSU’s RSS feed so you don’t miss any of our news releases, guest editorials and other announcements. Please sign up HERE.
About Nova Southeastern University (NSU): At NSU, students don’t just get an education, they get the competitive edge they need for real careers, real contributions and real life. A dynamic, private research university, NSU is providing high-quality educational and research programs at the undergraduate, graduate, and professional degree levels. Established in 1964, the university includes 14 colleges, the “theme park” for start-ups, scale-ups, and entrepreneurs, the Alan B. Levan | NSU Broward Center of Innovation, the 215,000-square-foot Center for Collaborative Research, the private PK1-12 grade University School, the world-class NSU Art Museum Fort Lauderdale, and the Alvin Sherman Library, Research and Information Technology Center, one of Florida’s largest public libraries. NSU students learn at our campuses in Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers, Jacksonville, Miami, Miramar, Orlando, Palm Beach, and Tampa, Florida, as well as San Juan, Puerto Rico, and online globally. With more than 200,000 alumni across the globe, the reach of the NSU community is worldwide. Classified as having “high research activity” by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, NSU is one of only 59 universities nationwide to also be awarded Carnegie’s Community Engagement Classification, and is also the largest private institution in the United States that meets the U.S. Department of Education’s criteria as a Hispanic-serving Institution. Please visit www.nova.edu for more information.
MEDIA CONTACTS
Joe Donzelli
Associate Director, Senior Writer
Office of Media Relations/Public Information
954-661-4571
jdonzelli@nova.edu
Irvin Harrell
Assistant Director of Public Relations
Office of Media Relations
954-945-6471
iharrell@nova.edu
