RTI International has named one of its own to become its next president and CEO.

Researcher and clinical psychologist Wayne Holden will become just the fourth president to lead the global research institute since it was founded in 1958. Holden will succeed current CEO Victoria Haynes, who announced last year her plans to retire after 12 years leading Research Triangle Park, North Carolina-based RTI.

No time line was given for the transition from Haynes to Holden, but Holden’s selection will become official upon formal election by RTI’s Board of Governors. In a statement, Board of Governors Chairman Bill Moore said that Holden, “understands our organization, our people and our competitive landscape. Wayne has a vision for RTI that is grounded in multidisciplinary research and global in reach, one that will ensure RTI continues to grow, evolve and be respected.”

RTI provides research and technical expertise for governments and businesses in more than 40 countries. RTI conducts research in a wide range of fields that include healthcare and pharmaceuticals, economics and energy. Holden joined RTI in 2005 to lead Social and Statistical Sciences, RTI’s largest unit that employs half of RTI’s 2,800 employees and generates annual revenue of $360 million. Before RTI, Holden held a series of executive posts at research company ORC Macro.

Holden’s professional career was preceded by several academic positions at the University of Maryland’s School of Medicine, Auburn University and Emory University School of Medicine. He has served as an adjunct professor in psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Duke University’s School of Medicine since 2006.

Holden holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of South Carolina at Spartanburg and a doctorate in clinical/community psychology from the University of South Carolina at Columbia. He also completed graduate training in the School of Public Health at Johns Hopkins University.