David A. DeCenzo, president of Coastal Carolina University, has been elected as chair of S.C. Sea Grant Consortium’s board of directors. DeCenzo will begin his one-year term on Jan. 1, 2012.

The S.C. Sea Grant Consortium, a university-based state agency, seeks to enhance the practical use and conservation of South Carolina’s coastal and marine resources to foster a sustainable economy and environment. The Consortium is a member of the nationwide network of 32 Sea Grant Programs that are sanctioned through the NOAA National Sea Grant College Program, U.S. Department of Commerce.

“I am very pleased that our board has elected Dr. DeCenzo to serve as chairman,” said Rick DeVoe, executive director of the S.C. Sea Grant Consortium. “His extensive experience with strategic planning, program assessment and growing programs will greatly enhance the success of the Consortium over the next year.”

DeCenzo has served as CCU president since 2007. Prior to his appointment as president, DeCenzo served as dean of CCU’s E. Craig Wall Sr. College of Business Administration from 2002-2006, and was named provost of the university from 2006-2007. He was instrumental in the establishment of the Master of Business Administration program in 2006.

DeCenzo attended the University of Maryland at College Park, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in economics (1978). He also earned a master’s degree with an emphasis on labor economics (1980) and a Ph.D. in industrial relations (1981), both from West Virginia University. He then became a corporate trainer/employee development specialist with Blue Cross Blue Shield, an assistant professor at the University of Baltimore and a professor, scholar and administrator at Towson University in Baltimore. DeCenzo’s teaching and research interests have focused on management, human resource management and organizational behavior. He is the author or co-author of nearly 30 textbooks that are used widely at colleges and universities.

"It is an honor for me to serve an organization that plays such an important role in the life of our state," said DeCenzo. "The Consortium's work is vital to the effective management of our coastal resources, and I look forward to working with the board and administration to build on its successful record of achievement.”

The Consortium’s board of directors is composed of the chief executive officers of its member institutions. Currently serving on the board are: Raymond S. Greenberg, president of Medical University of South Carolina (Board Chair); James F. Barker, president of Clemson University; David A. DeCenzo, president of Coastal Carolina University; P. George Benson, president of College of Charleston; John E. Frampton, executive director of S.C. Department of Natural Resources; George E. Cooper, president of S.C. State University; Lt. General John W. Rosa, president of The Citadel; and Harris Pastides, president of University of South Carolina.