The University of Minnesota Alumni Association’s Board of Directors has named a new president and CEO.

Lisa Lewis, who is currently serving a similar role at the University of Connecticut, will start the position May 31.

The job was previously held by Phil Esten, who left the University in October.

The UMAA, founded in 1904, has nearly 60,000 members. Its board of directors includes community members, current students and alumni.

A graduate of the University of South Florida, Lewis has worked with alumni associations for 23 years, according to a University news release.

Esten, whose salary was $230,000 in 2012, left in October for a position in the athletics department at the University of California-Berkeley.

A search team with representatives from across the University carried out the hiring process with the help of a search firm, said Kent Horsager, chair of the UMAA’s board of directors.

“There was very broad interest,” Horsager said. “People view it as an exciting position.”

Lewis will arrive amid the UMAA’s five-year strategic plan, which includes goals for engaging alumni, advocating for students and partnering with different parts of the University.

“She’s very experienced in alumni association work,” Horsager said, “and can look at that plan and advance the initiatives that we have laid out.”