VALDOSTA, Ga. — After a year and a half of interims, Valdosta State University has a new, permanent president.

Dr. Richard A. Carvajal was named the next president of VSU Friday by the University System of Georgia’s Board of Regents. He will start Jan. 1.

Carvajal was the top pick of a VSU search committee that reviewed several candidates for the position in an in-depth interview process.

He is currently the interim president of Darton State College, but has served in numerous college administrative positions throughout the state and country.

“Dr. Carvajal is a proven leader in the system, having already led two USG institutions,” USG Chancellor Hank Huckaby said in a press release. “I am looking forward to what he will bring to Valdosta State and the Valdosta community.”

Carvajal will replace VSU’s current interim president, Dr. Kelli Brown, who was also reviewed as a candidate for the presidency.

Carvajal holds a doctorate in educational administration from the University of South Carolina in Columbia, a master of science in college student personnel administration from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, and a bachelor of science in mass communication/sociology from East Central University in Ada, Okla.