Marymount California University in Rancho Palos Verdes has named Lucas Lamadrid, Ph.D., as the seventh president of the school. A veteran administrator with 20 years of experience in Catholic higher education, Lamadrid began his new role with the university on April 1, school chairman Burt Arnold said in a press release.

“Marymount California University has a tradition of honoring the core values set forth in the institution’s mission,” Arnold said. “Dr. Lamadrid will serve the MCU community ethically, and with a high degree of integrity, in a kind-spirited way.”

Lamadrid previously served as a senior executive at a private company to recruit international students; as vice president for enrollment and student affairs at Belmont Abbey College in Belmont, North Carolina; and as vice president and chief student officer at St. Vincent College in Latrobe, Pennsylvania.

“I believe [Marymount’s] devotion and care springs from the Religious of the Sacred Heart of Mary, who founded the university and who continue to be its inspiration,” said Lamadrid. “The motto for the RSHM is ‘to serve so that all may have life and have it to the full.’ MCU honors that commitment by offering a life-changing educational experience for its students, and I will be faithful to that heritage in my role as president.”