Georgia Southern University President Brooks A. Keel, Ph.D., has been named one of the 100 Most Influential Georgians of 2015 by Georgia Trend magazine; a list the magazine says reflects the realities of leadership, power and influence in Georgia.

"It is an honor to be on the list of the 100 Most Influential Georgians for 2015," Keel said in a university news release. "I have had the opportunity to work alongside some of the other Influential Georgians such as Gov. Nathan Deal, (University System of Georgia) Chancellor Hank Huckaby and Georgia Southern alumnus Chris Clark, amongst others. I've seen firsthand the dedication and leadership they bring to Georgia, and I am proud to have my name included among such a distinguished group."

Keel, a native of Augusta, has overseen significant changes at Georgia Southern since his arrival in 2010. Under his leadership, the university has secured more than $75 million in improvement projects and in 2014, Georgia Southern was granted the first undergraduate manufacturing engineering degree program in the Southeast U.S.

Keel has also sought to establish leadership and needs-based scholarships and has worked with the state of Georgia to transfer management of the Herty Advanced Materials Development Center, a world leader in materials research and product development, to Georgia Southern.

In 2014, he was the only university president in the state to testify before the U.S. House Education and Workforce Committee at the hearing titled "Keeping College within Reach: Meeting the Needs of Contemporary Students."

Keel also spearheaded Georgia Southern's move from the Football Championship Subdivision, where the Eagles had won six national titles, to the NCAA's highest division, the Football Bowl Subdivision.