About the President
Dr. Kyle Marrero currently serves as the Interim President of East Georgia State College, effective July 1, 2025, during the strategic consolidation process with Georgia Southern University. With initial approval from the Board of Regents and pending accreditation approval, the two institutions will unify to form a single, comprehensive university dedicated to expanding access, enhancing support services, and driving regional economic and workforce development. Under this arrangement, the new institution will retain EGSC’s open-access mission and identity while being integrated under Georgia Southern University. Dr. Marrero will assume the role of President of the unified institution when the consolidation is finalized in January 2026, ushering in a single leadership structure and vision for student success, academic opportunity, and institutional strength.
In his role as Interim President, Dr. Marrero brings extensive experience in strategic planning, organizational transformation, and student success initiatives to support institutional excellence and regional impact.
At Georgia Southern, Dr. Marrero has established a culture of high performance, transparency, and evidence-based leadership. His leadership has led to record achievements in fundraising, faculty research, student retention and graduation rates, degrees awarded, and economic impact.
Dr. Marrero is also leading Georgia Southern’s first comprehensive capital campaign, “Together We Soar,” with a goal of raising $300 million through 2030. He remains deeply committed to regional economic and workforce development through partnerships and innovation hubs throughout the Southeast Georgia region.
In service to the broader community and state, Dr. Marrero holds leadership and board roles with the Georgia Chamber of Commerce, Junior Achievement of Georgia, Regional Industry Support Enterprise (RISE), the Rowen Executive Advisory Council, local chambers in Savannah and Statesboro, World Trade Center Savannah, and East Georgia Regional Medical Center. He leads Regional Educational Collaboratives and currently serves as President of the Sun Belt Conference CEOs. From 2015 to 2024, he has been named one of Georgia Trend’s “100 Most Influential Georgians.”
Prior to his appointment at Georgia Southern, Dr. Marrero served as president of the University of West Georgia (2013–2019), where the institution saw record growth and national recognition. His earlier roles include leadership positions at the University of West Florida and Louisiana State University, and artistic director of Pensacola Opera.
Dr. Marrero holds a Doctor of Musical Arts from the University of Michigan and bachelor’s and master’s degrees in vocal performance from Bowling Green State University. He has performed in 10 countries as a U.S. State Department artistic ambassador and in 40 states as a singer and director. He and his wife, nationally acclaimed opera singer Dr. Jane Redding Marrero, have a daughter, Lily.