The founder of the University of Georgia’s College of Engineering has been named president of the University of Alabama in Huntsville.

Dr. Donald Leo, who served as the first permanent dean of UGA’s engineering school, will be the 11th president of UAH. His appointment was announced Wednesday during a special called meeting of the University of Alabama System Board of Trustees on the UAH campus.

He is executive vice president and provost at Ohio University, where he is the institution’s chief academic officer at the 30,000-student school. He will assume the UAH presidency June 1.

“I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to serve as president of UAH at such a pivotal moment in its history, and I sincerely thank the University of Alabama System Board of Trustees for their confidence and trust,” Leo said.

The University of Georgia hired Leo in 2013 to build its College of Engineering. In an 11-year tenure there, he oversaw fourfold increases in enrollment and research expenditures, created academic departments, grew annual giving and external partnerships, and spearheaded major renovations of the college’s instructional and research space.

“Dr. Leo will build on Dr. (Charles) Karr’s momentum in Huntsville,” said UA System Chancellor Sid J. Trant, who recommended Leo’s appointment to the Board. “He has a strong record of establishing quality academic programs, expanding research capacity and fostering impactful partnerships.

“Since its founding, UAH’s mission has been to be the strategic higher education partner for North Alabama. Now more than ever, this region deserves a dynamic, comprehensive, technology-focused institution, and Dr. Leo is uniquely positioned to lead UAH.”

His 30-year career in higher education includes more than a decade at Virginia Tech, where he was a professor in the Mechanical Engineering Department and focused on applied research opportunities with federal agencies. He served as a program manager at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, where he launched research programs in biologically inspired materials and systems and advanced technologies aligned with national defense priorities.

He also was vice president and executive director of Virginia Tech’s National Capital Region Operations and responsible for growing research partnerships across that area.

Leo holds a doctorate and master’s degrees in mechanical and aerospace engineering from the University of Buffalo and a bachelor’s degree in aeronautics and astronautics engineering from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

“As an aerospace engineer with a deep appreciation for the impact of groundbreaking research, I am excited about the opportunity to lead UAH,” Leo said. “I have always been drawn to organizations that can have a tremendous impact, and UAH’s location in the heart of a dynamic innovation corridor uniquely positions it for unprecedented success.”

Leo has authored or co-authored more than 200 research publications and written one of the first textbooks for advanced engineering courses in smart materials. His research focuses on synthesis, modeling and control of active material systems with an emphasis on electroactive polymers and biomolecular materials.

Over the course of his career, Leo has been responsible for nearly $12 million in sponsored research funding and has contributed to research projects totaling more than $20 million.

“Dr. Leo brings a thoughtful, results-driven approach to leadership and a clear understanding of the responsibility and opportunity that define the University of Alabama in Huntsville,” said UA System Board of Trustees President Pro Tem Scott Phelps. “His experience leading academic enterprises through growth, strengthening institutional focus and delivering measurable progress reflects the qualities we were seeking in UAH’s next president.”

A native of Park Forest, Ill., Leo and his wife, Jeannine, have two sons, Jonathan and Matthew.