Agnes Scott College names next president

ATLANTA (AP) - There's a new person at the helm of Agnes Scott College.

The school on Tuesday named 60-year-old Leocadia I. Zak as its ninth president.

Zak takes over the Decatur-based college July 1 from Elizabeth Kiss, who announced last year she would resign in June after 12 years as president. Her appointment concludes an eight-month search for Kiss' replacement.

Zak, a graduate of Mount Holyoke College and Northeastern University School of Law, served seven years as director of the U.S. Trade and Development Agency. President Barack Obama appointed her and the U.S. Senate confirmed the appointment in 2010.

The college's Board of Trustees' chair, Elizabeth Holder, says Zak's broad experience in the international arena makes her well suited to advancing the college's mission of educating students to become global leaders.