President John S.K. Kauwe III announced the appointment of Kevin Schlag as the Operations Vice President following approval from the BYU–Hawaii Board of Trustees. Schlag will be replacing Cory Higgins, who will be retiring after many years of service at multiple educational institutions. Schlag's appointment is effective November 1, 2021.
Schlag currently serves as the chief information officer, overseeing all information technology services for BYU–Hawaii. He will retain these responsibilities as he assumes this new role as Operations Vice President.
During the fall of 2020, Schlag was appointed as the university COVID-19 project manager, where he has been integral to BYU–Hawaii’s highly successful COVID-19 management strategy. Schlag has worked at Brigham Young University–Hawaii since 1996 in various roles, including campus news center advisor, technology projects manager, and director of Enterprise Information Systems. He also coached the BYU–Hawaii Cross Country team from 2010 to 2016.
“In the last 25 years, Kevin has demonstrated exceptional leadership skills and both the capacity and willingness to learn new areas and solve complex problems,” said President Kauwe. “Throughout that time, he has also demonstrated an unquestionable devotion to serving BYU–Hawaii students and the Ko’olauloa community. I am delighted that he has accepted this role.”
Regarding Higgin’s retirement, President Kauwe said, “Vice President Higgins has led us to some of the most productive years of construction and maintenance efforts in the history of the university. These efforts include the Science Building and Banyan Dining Hall, which will be completed this year and will serve many generations of students. We are grateful for his service.”
Kevin Schlag was born in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and served a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in France. He attended Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, where he received his Bachelor of Arts in communications in 1995. He then received a master's degree in learning and technology from Western Governors University in 2003.
Because of his expansive and proven leadership skills and willingness to serve, Schlag's leadership role expands beyond his career on campus and into the surrounding area. He has lived in Laie for 25 years and currently serves as both the president of the Laie Community Association and the stake president of the Laie Hawaii North Stake. His significant contributions to the well-being and betterment of Laie make him a loved and respected member of our university and the broader community.
Schlag and his wife, Nan, have four children, Ayanna, Truman, Jonah, and Coral. Ayanna is a BYUH alumna and recently married another BYU–Hawaii alumni, Jonathan Torio. Truman is a BYU–Hawaii employee in the Campus Property Services department. Jonah is a current BYU–Hawaii student studying math while Coral is a junior at Kahuku High School. Schlag enjoys running in the mountains and spending time with family.