Brenau University President David L. Barnett has been named chairman of the 77-member Board of Trustees for the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.
Barnett succeeds Blaine Hanson, executive vice president and chief operating officer of Lees-McRae College in North Carolina. Barnett has served on the SACSCOC board for five years in several capacities; before becoming chair, he previously was a member of the board’s Executive Council.
Barnett, who began working at Brenau in 2005, has been president of the university since 2024. During his career, Barnett has worked in various administrative, academic and student-focused roles at six different schools in Georgia and Kentucky.
“I am humbled to have been selected to lead the Board of Trustees for SACSCOC in a continuation of my service to the commission. My career in higher education, which includes having served at Level IV, Level V and Level VI schools, has helped me to become well-versed in the principles of accreditation and has provided the expertise necessary to provide leadership for this organization,” Barnett said. “I look forward to working with SACSCOC President Stephen Pruitt for the betterment of higher education.”