Hawaii Pacific University has named Matthew Liao-Troth its first provost to help manage and oversee the 7,500-student private university.

Liao-Troth is interim provost and vice president of academic affairs at Georgia College & State University, a public liberal arts university. He will join HPU July 15.

Liao-Troth previously was dean of the business college at Georgia College & State University, and before that, chair of the management department and director of graduate business programs at Western Washington University in Washington state.

He holds a master’s degree in management and policy and a doctorate in management, both from the University of Arizona. He also earned an MBA from San Diego State University.

Before his work in academia, Liao-Troth served as a division executive with Boy Scouts of America, according to a press release.

“As Hawaii Pacific University implements a strategic plan marked by ambitious goals in improving the university’s academic performance and reputation, we need a provost who understands the organizational demands of such an undertaking,” HPU President Geoffrey Bannister said in a statement.

As provost, Liao-Troth’s main duties will include management and administration of HPU’s faculty, academic organization and academic programs.

“For a university such as ours, with the complexities of two campuses, academic programming at six military bases … and enrollment of 7,500 students … the position of provost will be a demanding one,” HPU spokesman Todd Simmons added. “There is the added complexity of being the first in this position” for HPU.