Following the President's Death: UMU Board of Directors Designates Medina A. Wesseh to Head Interim Management Team

MONROVIA, LIBERIA: The Board of Directors of the United Methodist University (UMU), through its Chairman, Bishop Samuel J. Quire, Jr., has designated Cllr. Medina A. Wesseh, as the head of the Interim Management Team of the University.

Cllr. Wesseh, a board member herself, was unanimously endorsed on Friday, November 28, 2025, by fellow board members to lead the Management Team of the University from December 1, 2025, to March 31, 2026.

She is expected to work with the vice presidents of the university and other senior staff members.

Bishop Quire also named Reverend Dr. Anthony G. Dioh, Vice President for Academic Affairs, Reverend Dr. George K. Weagba as Vice President for Administration, the Comptroller, Julius D. Innis, and the Chancellor for the Liberia Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church, Cllr. Samuel T. Zonoe, as a member of the team.

Cllr. Wesseh takes up the interim leadership role following the sudden demise of the UMU President, Reverend Dr. Emmanuel F. Bailey, on Wednesday, November 26, 2025, while on official duty at the university. Dr. Bailey took over the university for the third time as its president on March 1, 2025.

Cllr. Wesseh is a revered Liberian lawyer, diplomat, and public servant. She has made significant contributions to Liberia, particularly in the areas of peace, regional integration, and development.

Her impressive career includes serving as the Secretary-General of the Mano River Union, where she led initiatives to promote peace and cooperation among member states. She is a member of the First United Methodist Church in Monrovia.

Meanwhile, the United Methodist University Board of Directors also constituted a search team for the position of president for the university.

The team is headed by Dr. Tolbert Nyenswah, Vice Chairman of the UMU Board of Directors and Lay Leader of the Liberia Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church in Liberia.