Evolutionary paths for faculty are no longer sacred routes to chief academic officer (CAO) roles. Instead, CAOs are being drawn from a variety of other arenas. This being the case, college and university officials must address the following areas: (1) alternative career paths to academic affairs; (2) how to identify future leaders from other administrative areas; and (3) what strategies to implement to foster diversity in academic leadership. This paper provides a brief discussion of each point, and offers suggestions for internal leadership development activities.