Coastal Carolina University names new president. Who is he, where’s he from?
Coastal Carolina University announced Thursday that it plans to appoint James J. Winebrake, as its next president, according to a CCU news release.
Winebrake, who served as the provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs at the University of North Carolina Wilmington since 2020, would be the fourth president in the school’s history if his contract receives final approval by the university’s board of trustees, the release states.
He will replace Michael Benson, who has served as CCU’s president since 2021, after Benson announced earlier this year that he had accepted an offer to become president at West Virginia University.
The terms of Winebrake’s contract are not yet public, but he would be receiving an increase in total compensation if his terms are similar to CCU’s deal with Benson, whose annual compensation reached up to $575,000 by the end of his tenure, The Sun News previously reported. Winebrake was making nearly $362,000 at UNCW as of 2024, according to Wilmington Star News.
Winebrake’s appointment concludes a nationwide search and interview process that began in February to find Benson’s successor, according to the news release.
“It is a tremendous honor to be selected as Coastal Carolina University’s next president,” Winebrake said in the release. “The foundation of Teal Nation is strong, and I am eager to reach new heights as we build on the progress already made. With historic enrollment growth and remarkable academic achievements, it is an exciting time to be a Chanticleer.”
Winebrake’s job history prior to UNCW includes dean of the College of Liberal Arts at the Rochester Institute of Technology, professor and chair of RIT’s Department of Public Policy, associate professor at James Madison University and scientist/policy specialist for the U.S. Department of Energy, the release shows.
Winebrake also has a Ph.D. in energy management and policy from the University of Pennsylvania, an M.S. in technology and policy from the Massachussetts Institute of Technology and B.S. in physics from Lafayette College.
