University of Colorado Chief Financial Officer Todd Saliman will become the system’s interim president this summer after a unanimous Board of Regents vote Tuesday morning.

The announcement comes three weeks after current president Mark Kennedy, who become president in May 2019, announced he would be stepping down imminently. Saliman, who has been with the university system since 2011, will assume the interim job on July 1, the university said in a news release.

“Todd is a valued and respected member of the university community who has a sound understanding of the issues it faces,” board chair Glen Gallegos said in the release. “He was the unanimous choice of the Board of Regents and we look forward to working with him to continue CU’s momentum and upward trajectory.”

Saliman has said he will not apply for the permanent position as the board prepares a national search to replace Kennedy, who reached a $1.36 million deal to leave the university.

His appointment will tide the board and system over until a full-time replacement for Kennedy can be found. In its release, the board said it was “doing the advance work to prepare for a national search for the permanent president.”

“I look forward to continuing to work with the board and my colleagues at CU system administration and on our campuses to ensure that CU continues to advance its mission to serve our students and state,” Saliman said in a statement.

Saliman previously worked for former Colorado Govs. Bill Ritter and John Hickenlooper. He also served in the state Legislature and was a lobbyist.

The announcement of his appointment released by the university included supportive quotes from various Colorado officials, including U.S. Rep. Joe Neguse, four state legislators and several higher education administrators.

He was praised, too, by his soon-to-be predecessor. Kennedy wrote that Saliman “has been an integral part of CU’s success in recent years.”

Kennedy, a former president of the University of North Dakota, was hired two years ago despite protests from students and faculty. His tenure included censures in April by the Boulder Faculty Assembly and CU’s student government for his work on the university’s “diversity, equity and inclusion” goals.

He announced he would leave on May 10, fewer than two weeks after the teachers’ censure. It was the first censure of a president by the Boulder Faculty Assembly.

Nine days after Kennedy announced his intention to leave, the system’s board voted to pay him $1.36 million in severance when he departs by July 1.

Some Republican members of the board had accused their Democratic colleagues of forcing the president out. The Democratic members denied the allegation and said Kennedy’s decision was mutual. The severance agreement passed 8-1.