Published on October 8, 2025  
Lauren Leach

After an extensive national search, Samford University has announced Lauren Leach as its chief of staff to the president and vice president for strategy. Leach is currently the associate vice president for strategic planning with the UAB Health System. She will begin her position at Samford effective Nov. 1.

“Lauren Leach is a superb addition to Samford’s executive leadership at a time when the university’s strategic plan is yielding exciting results,” says Samford President Beck A. Taylor. “Her extensive experience in leading strategic planning and her keen understanding of complex organizations will enable her to serve Samford and its constituents well.”

Leech says she is both enthusiastic and honored to be joining Samford University. “This is such an exciting time for the university and to join such an impressive executive leadership team is inspiring. The university’s strategy has flourished under Dr. Colin Coyne, and I am ready to take the baton and continue onward.”  Along with strategy, Leach is eager to support the Office of the President as Taylor continues to lead Samford forward. “The university’s Christian mission, students, faculty, staff, and alumni all make Samford an amazing place, and I am excited to contribute to the continued success I know we will have.”

For the past 18 years, Leach held increasingly responsible roles in the strategy division of UAB Health System. Since 2017, she has served in the department of strategic planning and business development as a senior strategic advisor to executive leadership. Her work aligned organizational vision with operational execution across academic, clinical and administrative units.

Leach earned her bachelor’s and MBA, with a concentration in strategy, from the University of Alabama. Before her promotion to associate vice president at the UAB Health System, she was director of strategy and business development. In this role, Leach implemented and managed key initiatives, resource data analysis and forecasting, competitive analysis and financial projections for the UAB Health System. She also served as Women and Infants Service Line Director to develop and implement business plans for the continued success of women and infant clinical services at UAB Hospital.

As Samford’s chief of staff to the president, Leach will manage the daily operations of the Office of the President and provide advanced executive support and counsel to the president, overseeing institutional policy and important strategic initiatives. Leach will serve as the chief liaison between the president and Samford’s Board of Trustees and will serve alongside other leaders on the Executive Leadership Team and President’s Cabinet. As vice president for strategy, Leach will chair Samford’s University Council, manage all aspects of strategic planning, collaborate closely with the Office for Institutional Research and Analytics, and ensure all areas of Samford are strategically aligned to achieve Samford’s faith-based mission and bold vision.
 
Located in the Homewood suburb of Birmingham, Alabama, Samford is a leading Christian university offering undergraduate programs grounded in the liberal arts with an array of nationally recognized graduate and professional schools. Founded in 1841, Samford enrolls 6,324 students from 44 states, Puerto Rico and 16 countries in its 10 academic schools: arts, arts and sciences, business, divinity, education, health professions, law, nursing, pharmacy and public health. Samford is widely recognized as having one of the most beautiful campuses in America, featuring rolling hills, meticulously maintained grounds and Georgian-Colonial architecture. Samford fields 17 athletic teams that compete in the tradition-rich Southern Conference and ranks with the second-highest score in the nation for its 98% Graduation Success Rate among all NCAA Division I schools.