RTI International has chosen its next chief executive – but the face is a familiar one.
On Tuesday, the RTI International Board of Governors said it had selected Wayne Holden to replace longtime President and Chief Executive Officer Victoria Haynes.
Holden is RTI’s Executive Vice President of Social, Statistical and Environmental Sciences.
“Throughout his distinguished career, Wayne has successfully blended leadership, scientific expertise and business acumen to establish an outstanding track record of success,” said RTI Board of Governors Chairman Bill Moore in a statement. “Since joining RTI, he has led efforts to grow and diversify our research business while also contributing significantly to the strategy responsible for RTI’s growth and scientific success in the past seven years.”
Haynes announced her intention to retire in April 2011.She has led RTI for 12 years.
“I am honored and pleased to be selected as RTI International’s next president and CEO,” Holden said in the announcement. “RTI is a unique organization, and I look forward to helping carry on its tradition of objective, multidisciplinary scientific research and development as we evolve to meet future challenges and opportunities.”
The board selected Holden after a search and review process in which his knowledge of RTI was a critical factor, Moore said.
“Most important to us all, Wayne understands our organization, our people, and our competitive landscape,” Moore explained. “Wayne has a vision for RTI that is grounded in multidisciplinary research and global in reach, one that will ensure RTI continues to grow, evolve and be respected.”
Holden joined RTI in November 2005 as executive vice president of social and statistical sciences. He oversees a group of 1,400 employees that produces some $360 million in annual revenues. A former businessman who served as president of ORC Macro, a research firm, Holden also taught at the University of Maryland’s School of Medicine as well as at Auburn and Emory. He has been an adjunct professor at Duke University since 2006.
A graduate of the University of South Carolina at Spartanburg, he received a doctorate in clinical and community psychology at USC Columbia. He also completed graduate training in the School of Public Health at Johns Hopkins University.
His areas of expertise, according to his bio at RTI, include:
- Community-based research
- Childhood illness and family function
- Childhood and adolescent mental health
- Health services research
Moore, who recently took over as chair of the RTI board, praised Haynes for her achievements.
“[Haynes] has led RTI during a period of exceptional growth, change and revitalization,” Moore said. “She has been a caring leader, a highly capable business person, and an outstanding steward of RTI’s reputation and legacy, and we are grateful to her.”
RTI is one of the oldest institutions in RTP, established as an independent, nonprofit research, development and technical services nonprofit institute in 1958.
RTI has more than 2,800 employees and operates in more than 40 countries around the world.
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