A week after the president of Our Lady of the Lake University announced his resignation, the school’s board announced its interim leader.
OLLU’s board will appoint Brent Fields, a business executive who’s led several education and health nonprofits.
Fields will take over from president Abel Chávez while the university’s board launches a national search for a new leader. Fields, who said his first priority will be to “listen and learn” from OLLU’s community, will take over as interim Oct. 26.
“Together, we will build on OLLU’s strengths, address its challenges with candor and discipline, and strengthen its foundation for the future,” he said in a statement.
The new interim president is taking over in the middle of a challenging academic year, as the university’s enrollment continues to decline.
Chávez became OLLU’s 10th president on July 15, 2022, succeeding former President Diane Melby, who had led the university since 2015.
Under Chávez’s leadership the university’s enrollment decreased drastically, going from 2,326 total students enrolled in fall 2022, his first fall semester as president, to 1,550 students this fall, a 33% total enrollment decline.
This not only affected the university’s main campus, located in San Antonio’s West Side, but it also impacted online enrollment, which decreased by 38% from fall 2022 to fall 2025, and the campuses in Huston and the Rio Grande Valley, which lost 12% and 49% of their enrollment respectively during the same years, according to university records.
During the spring 2025 semester, university leadership announced program and faculty cuts that Chávez said were the result of a two-year evaluation of the viability of its programs.
This fall, university officials said similar evaluations are likely to continue to assess if the university’s offerings meet the needs of current and prospective students.
OLLU’s board president Steve O’Donnell said he’s confident that Fields will bring some stability to the university, which has had to cut student programs and faculty positions because of low enrollment.
“Dr. Fields brings a record of executive leadership, organizational alignment, and strategic execution that we believe will serve the university well during this transition,” O’Donnell said in a statement. “We are confident in his ability to work collaboratively with our university community as we address immediate challenges and position OLLU for long-term sustainability.”
Fields brings over 30 years of executive leadership experience across nonprofit,
healthcare, education, research, and community-based organizations. In OLLU’s announcement, officials stressed his experience overseeing large business portfolios.
Most recently, he was chief executive officer of Morgan’s Enterprises, the group behind Morgan’s Wonderland and six other businesses. He’s also held leadership roles in places like Big Brother Big Sisters of Central Texas, the American Heart Association and Shannon Medical Center.
Fields holds a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership and Policy from The University of
Texas at Austin.
During Fields’ interim period, university officials said he would work with the board, cabinet, faculty, students, alumni, donors and the Congregation of Divine Providence to “establish priorities and maintain momentum on the university’s most
pressing needs.”
He will start by focusing on institutional stability, enrollment and student success, financial sustainability, leadership alignment, and community engagement.
“This transition is an opportunity to renew our shared commitment to OLLU’s students, strengthen the university for the future, and ensure that its mission continues to make a lasting difference in the lives of those it serves,” said Sister Rose Kruppa, Superior General of the Congregation of Diving Providence.
At the time of his arrival, Chávez’s annual compensation totaled $250,933, and had increased to $424,809 by the spring of 2025, according to university tax records.
OLLU officials declined to provide details on how much Fields will be paid for his interim role.
