University of Tampa President Teresa Abi-Nader Dahlberg will resign at the end of the fall 2026 term for personal reasons, ending a tenure of less than three years at the downtown institution. The university announced Friday that it has retained AGB, an executive search firm specializing in higher education, to find her replacement. Its current senior executives will continue managing daily operations during the transition.
Dahlberg became UTampa’s 11th president in June 2024, succeeding Ronald Vaughn, who oversaw nearly three decades of enrollment growth and campus expansion. She arrived from Texas Christian University, where she served as provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs, after holding leadership positions at Syracuse University, Cooper Union and the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.
In an October 2024 interview with TBBW, Dahlberg described Tampa’s growth as one of the reasons she accepted the job and discussed her plans to increase the value of a UTampa degree. Among her priorities was the Spartan Alliance, a scholarship program providing tuition, housing and academic support to high-achieving students from underserved Tampa Bay schools.
During her presidency, UTampa pursued stronger connections with regional employers through initiatives including AI Across the University and Internships for All, while continuing to invest in its downtown campus. The university also announced plans for a five-story, 153,000-square-foot Science Center along the Hillsborough River, with teaching and research laboratories scheduled to open in 2029.
The university’s Board of Trustees credited Dahlberg with strengthening its strategic and financial foundation and involving the campus community in planning for the future. “She has brought energy, vision, and a commitment to student success to her presidency,” the board said in a statement.
“Serving as president of the University of Tampa has been an honor,” Dahlberg said. “I especially thank the administration and staff whose talent, dedication, and hard work made our accomplishments possible. Together, we have built a strong foundation for UTampa’s next chapter.”