Reid Selected as UA’s Next Provost

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - Dr. Lesley Reid has been selected as The University of Alabama's next provost after serving as interim provost since November 2025.

Reid will continue to provide innovative academic and administrative leadership that will propel the University to develop leaders, drive research, strengthen communities and steward resources.

"Dr. Lesley Reid is a highly respected academic leader who brings to this role a deep understanding of The University of Alabama, our faculty and our academic mission," UA President Peter J. Mohler said. "Throughout her time as interim provost, she has led with thoughtfulness, integrity and a strong commitment to shared governance and open communication, empowering faculty and engaging with students. I am particularly excited about her vision focused on academic mentoring and faculty leadership across UA.

"I am grateful for her leadership and look forward to continuing our work together as we advance The University of Alabama's role as the future-ready flagship."

As the University's chief academic officer and member of the executive leadership team, Reid will advance excellence in teaching, research and service while fostering collaboration across UA's academic units, The University of Alabama System, and other national institutions. Working closely with the president, she will support student success, shared governance, research growth and responsible resource management while leading deans and promoting collaboration across disciplines with sensitivity to the needs of students, faculty and staff.

"I am honored to serve The University of Alabama as provost and excited for the work ahead," Reid said. "With President Mohler, our deans, faculty, staff and students, I look forward to building on UA's momentum and advancing a future-focused academic mission that expands opportunity, drives discovery and strengthens our impact across Alabama and beyond."

Prior to her appointment as interim provost, Reid served in multiple leadership roles including senior associate provost for academic and administrative affairs, and associate provost for faculty affairs. She also served as interim dean of the School of Social Work from 2019 to 2021.

A respected scholar, Reid is a criminologist whose research centers on the characteristics of places, from neighborhoods to correctional institutions, that shape safety and risk of criminal victimization. She has secured multiple grants from the National Science Foundation and led a nearly $2 million study for the Alabama Department of Corrections.

Reid's work examining long-term trends in crime across U.S. communities has been widely cited and discussed in both academic and public-facing outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, the Atlantic, the BBC and Scientific American.

The national search was led by Dr. Julie Sanford, dean of the Capstone College of Nursing, and Dr. Stuart Usdan, dean of the College of Human Environmental Sciences, and included faculty, staff, students, as well as Trustee Steven Roy and University of Alabama System Representative Dr. Tonjanita Johnson.