ANN ARBOR — The University of Michigan Board of Regents has selected Dr. C. Cybele Raver as the university’s 17th president and the second woman to hold the institution’s highest leadership position.

The Board of Regents is expected to formally vote on Raver’s appointment during a special meeting Sept. 1. If approved, she will begin her term Dec. 1.

Raver, a developmental psychologist and higher education administrator, will come to U of M from Vanderbilt University, a private research institution in Nashville, where she has served as provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs since July 2021.

As Vanderbilt’s chief academic officer, Raver helped oversee a significant expansion of the university’s research enterprise, which surpassed $1 billion in annual research expenditures and $100 million in annual technology-transfer revenue during her tenure.

She also helped launch Vanderbilt’s College of Connected Computing, the university’s first new college in four decades, and recruited seven new deans. In addition, she spearheaded Discovery Vanderbilt, an initiative intended to accelerate interdisciplinary research and innovation.

Raver played a central role in major academic and physical investments, including a new science building and the addition of 1,300 residential beds. She also led Vanderbilt’s academic strategy as the university expanded its presence in New York City, West Palm Beach and San Francisco.

Raver described the opportunity to lead U of M as an “extraordinary honor at this pivotal moment in higher education.”

She said she looked forward to building on the university’s distinctive legacy and working with faculty, staff, students and alumni to move the institution forward “with clarity and confidence.”

“The University of Michigan’s impact in research, education, economic growth and public service is unmatched,” she said.

Raver will become the second woman to lead the university, following Mary Sue Coleman, who served as president from 2002 to 2014 and returned briefly as interim president in 2022.

Her selection follows another period of leadership transition at U of M.

The regents previously selected Syracuse University Chancellor Kent Syverud to become president, but he withdrew before taking office after being diagnosed with brain cancer.

Domenico Grasso, who had served as interim president, was subsequently named U of M’s 16th president in May. He will remain in the position through Nov. 30 and assist with the leadership transition.

Grasso welcomed Raver’s selection and said he looked forward to working closely with her to ensure a smooth and successful transfer of responsibilities.

Raver’s full name is Cassandra Cybele Raver. She earned a bachelor’s degree from Harvard University and a doctorate in developmental psychology from Yale University.

Her academic research has focused on early childhood development, education policy, poverty and the ways economic hardship and environmental stress affect children’s emotional regulation and ability to succeed in school.

Before joining Vanderbilt, Raver served as deputy provost at New York University and held faculty or administrative positions at NYU, the University of Chicago and Cornell University.

At NYU, she was a professor of applied psychology at the Steinhardt School of Culture, Education and Human Development. She also co-founded the university’s Neuroscience and Education Lab with her husband and research collaborator, developmental psychologist Clarence “Clancy” Blair Jr.

Blair, an internationally recognized scholar of early childhood development and self-regulation, died in December 2024.

Raver is also the sister of television actress Kim Raver, who is known for her roles in Grey’s Anatomy, 24 and Third Watch.

Raver will remain Vanderbilt’s provost through Oct. 31 before assuming the University of Michigan presidency one month later.