LITTLE ROCK (Thursday, July 16, 2026) — University of Arkansas System President Jay B. Silveria today announced the advisory search committee to help identify the next chancellor at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock (UALR), and named Brian Berry, Ph.D., vice provost of research and graduate school dean at the institution, as its chair.
With the naming of the advisory search committee, the search process to replace retiring UA Little Rock Chancellor Christina Drale, Ph.D., is officially underway.
“Dr. Berry’s history of steadfast leadership at the institution has earned him the respect of his colleagues, and his desire and commitment to seeing UA Little Rock succeed makes him a great fit for the role to help lead this advisory search committee,” Silveria said.
Drale announced in May a planned retirement for June 30, 2027, after more than 40 years in higher education. She was named acting chancellor at UA Little Rock in early 2019, before being named chancellor later that year.
“Dr. Drale not only helped reestablish the institution’s financial health but has also led with a great vision for the future, and we are doing everything we can to keep that momentum moving forward,” Silveria said. “Our goal is to honor her gracious plans of giving us time to run a thorough national search and have a new chancellor identified before she officially retires next summer.”
Berry previously served as chair of the UA Little Rock Department of Chemistry from June 2015 to January 2022, and as an assistant professor of chemistry from 2008 to January 2022.
He earned a doctorate in applied science and chemistry, as well as a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from UALR. He also completed a postdoctoral at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute as well as a National Research Council postdoctoral fellowship at the National Institute of Standards and Technology prior to returning to campus as an assistant professor.
“It’s an honor to be chosen to work with a group of people who all share the common bond of wanting what’s best for the future of UA Little Rock,” Berry said. “I’m grateful for the opportunity and look forward to being a part of such an important process for this institution, central Arkansas and the entire UA System.”
The advisory search committee is representative of UALR campus leaders, community constituents and a member of the Board of Trustees of the University of Arkansas (listed below). The committee will assist in the cultivation of a short list of final candidates for Silveria to consider before ultimately taking his pick to the Board of Trustees of the University of Arkansas for final approval.
The UALR Chancellor Advisory Search Committee includes:
| Dr. Brian Berry, Chair | UALR Graduate Dean, Vice Provost for Research |
| J.R. Bizzell | Chair, UALR Foundation Fund Board |
| Ashley Caldwell | UA Board of Trustees |
| Guy Choate | President, UALR Alumni Association |
| Emily Cox | UALR Vice Chancellor for Government Relations |
| Cody Decker | UALR Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs |
| Greg Flesher | President, Donaghey Foundation |
| Quaneshia Hamms | UALR Associate VC for Finance |
| Cody Henslee | UALR staff, IT Services |
| Dr. Angela Hunter | Professor of Literature and Chair, UALR Faculty Senate |
| Dr. Dean Kumpuris | Chair, UALR Board of Visitors |
| Tjuana Byrd Manning | Pulaski County Circuit Judge, Bowen Alum |
| Christian O’Neal | UALR Vice Chancellor for Advancement |
The search committee will soon begin by working with a search firm to finalize a chancellor position profile and advertising the position to open the search process.
“I’d like to thank the members of the search advisory committee for committing their time and effort in the coming months to help identify the next leader at UALR,” Silveria said. “It’s important work and I’m pleased to have representation across the many integral pieces on campus, in the community and the administration.”
About the University of Arkansas System (www.uasys.edu)
Since its inception, the University of Arkansas System has developed a tradition of excellence that includes the state’s 1871 flagship, land-grant research university; Arkansas’s premier institution for medical education, treatment and research; a major metropolitan university; an 1890 land-grant university; two regional universities serving southern and western Arkansas; nine community colleges; two schools of law; a presidential school; a residential math and science high school; and a 100 percent-online university and divisions of agriculture, archeology and criminal justice. As the premier higher education system in the state, it enrolls more than 70,000 students, employs more than 30,000 employees, and has a total budget of more than $4.5 billion. An intrinsic part of the texture and fabric of Arkansas, the UA System is a driving force in the state’s economic, educational and cultural advancement.