Dr. James Hess, a native of Henryetta, Oklahoma, has over 43 years of service in Oklahoma higher education. Hess was named interim president by the Board of Regents in February 2025. Most recently, he served as the vice provost for graduate programs at OSU-CHS, where he supervised all academic graduate programs and taught a full graduate coursework load. Dr. Hess also served as the CEO of the OSU Veterinary Medicine Authority. During his time in higher education, he has initiated several innovative online graduate programs, leading to enrollment growth at OSU-CHS.