Dear UMB Community:

I'm delighted to share the news of two recent promotions. Susan Buskirk, DM, MS, has been promoted to vice president and chief accountability officer, and Flavius Lilly, PhD, MA, MPH, has been promoted to vice dean of the Graduate School and vice provost for academic and student affairs.

Dr. Buskirk has been a valued member of the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) since 2001 and has served as deputy accountability officer since 2014. She also provides leadership and oversight of UMB's Office of Accountability and Compliance (OAC). Before joining OAC, Dr. Buskirk developed and managed UMB's Human Research Protections Program. In her new role as vice president and chief accountability officer, she will oversee our adherence to federal, state, and local regulatory requirements and UMB's policies and procedures, including the Code of Ethics and Conduct and our Hotline program. A certified compliance and ethics professional who also spent 18 years as a nurse practitioner, Dr. Buskirk will apply her skills, knowledge, and leadership to positively impact UMB's compliance strategy.

Dr. Lilly, as vice provost, will provide Universitywide academic and administrative leadership to enhance academic excellence, including advocating for and promoting quality instruction, student success, and the documentation and assessment of student learning outcomes. In this role, he also will serve on the Vice Presidents Council. Dr. Lilly will continue to work to improve and expand contemporary degree programs in the Graduate School to increase our reach to adult and post-traditional learners. As vice dean, he will ensure oversight, continuous assessment, and period review of all certificate, MS, and PhD programs in the Graduate School.

Drs. Buskirk and Lilly will continue to report to Roger J. Ward, EdD, JD, MSL, MPA, interim provost, executive vice president, and dean of the Graduate School. They are clearly deserving of their promotions, and I know you will join me in congratulating them on this recognition of their work.

Sincerely,

Bruce E. Jarrell, MD, FACS
Interim President