University of Wisconsin System President Kevin Reilly nominated an interim chancellor Thursday to fill the vacant seat at UW-Green Bay.

David J. Ward will be recommended to the Board of Regents for final approval to take the position of interim chancellor, replacing Bruce Shepard, who accepted a position as president of Western Washington University last month.

According to a statement, Ward would take the position June 23 of this year if approved by the Board of Regents. He would fill the interim chancellor position until a permanent replacement can be found through a search committee.

Ward has served in the UW System for 31 years, most recently as senior vice president for academic affairs at UW System Administration, according to the statement. In 2000, he established NorthStar Economics, Inc., a Madison-based private economic consulting and research firm for which he is now president, also according to the statement.

During the time he will serve as interim chancellor, Ward said he will have to appoint an interim president for his company, but added the position is “an important thing to do.”

“[Green Bay] is my hometown,” he added. “It is where I started my academic career.”

Ward attended UW-Green Bay when the school was a two-year campus, before becoming a four-year university in 1968. He received his bachelor’s degree and a Ph.D. from UW-Madison.

Reilly said Ward’s experience and “in-depth understanding of the region’s economic needs and the importance of [the] Growth Agenda for Wisconsin” would continue to help move the campus in a positive direction.

Ward said that his first job as interim chancellor would be to “keep the campus moving.”

“This is not the time to be a change agent,” Ward said. “There are some very important growth initiatives the campus is working on now. This is a campus that is expanding right now in a place that desperately needs it.”