PRESS RELEASES

Academic Career & Executive Search (ACES) Places General Counsel at Massachusetts College of Art and Design (MassArt)

(September 29, 2026, WEST HARTFORD, CT) Following a national search, Academic Career & Executive Search (ACES), a leading higher education focused executive search firm, is pleased to announce the successful placement of Jeannie Barrett securing the role as the next General Counsel at Massachusetts College of Art and Design (MassArt).

Jeannie Barrett brings more than 25 years of legal experience in higher education, advising institutions and senior leaders on a wide range of complex legal, operational, governance, and compliance matters. Throughout her career, she has worked closely with university leadership to navigate institutional challenges, manage risk, and advance organizational priorities. Jeannie recently served as General Counsel for Illinois State University.  She received her Master’s in Higher Education and her J.D. from the University of Georgia.  Jeannie will serve as MassArt’s chief legal and compliance officer, providing strategic legal guidance to the President, Board of Trustees, President’s Cabinet, and senior leadership on a broad and complex range of matters. Reporting to the President, Jeannie will be a proactive partner to campus leaders and will supervise the Executive Director of Equal Opportunity and Title IX, as well as co-supervision of the Administrative and Special Projects Coordinator.

Founded in 1873, Massachusetts College of Art and Design (MassArt), is the nation’s first and only independent, free-standing public college of art and design. MassArt is an inclusive community of thinkers, doers, makers, educators, innovators, and leaders striving to shape the future through art and design. Located in Boston’s hub of arts and culture along the Avenue of the Arts, MassArt enrolls 2,000 students and offers a comprehensive range of undergraduate and graduate degrees in 18 disciplines, as well as continuing education and youth programs. The College offers twenty-two areas of concentration in fine arts, design and art education, and awards one undergraduate degree, the Bachelor of Fine Arts, and graduate degrees including the Master of Fine Arts, the Master of Art in Teaching, Master of Education, Master of Design Innovation, and the Master of Architecture. The college also offers certificate programs in Communication Design, Fashion Design, Furniture Design, and Industrial Design.

Affordable Excellence 

Academic Career & Executive Search, a higher education focused search firm, specializes in affordable excellence, providing perfectly matched candidates to institutions quickly and accurately. Their methodologies, based on frequent touchpoints, pinpoint ideal candidates with speed and meticulous care resulting in highly successful placements.

They offer flexible service/pricing levels for all positions, ensuring affordability.

Contact Jennifer Muller, Managing Partner, at 860-740-2600 or Jennifer@ACESrch.com, or visit https://acesrch.com/.