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Academic Career & Executive Search (ACES) selected by Southern Illinois University Edwardsville for Associate Vice Chancellor for Human Resources Search

(January 16, 2026, WEST HARTFORD, CT) Academic Career & Executive Search (ACES), a leading higher education focused executive search firm, has been selected to recruit the next Associate Vice Chancellor for Human Resources at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.  Jennifer Muller, Managing Partner, will be leading the search.

The Associate Vice Chancellor for HR (AVC HR) will provide enterprise-wide leadership for a workforce of more than 2,300 employees across multiple campuses, including the main campus in Edwardsville, the School of Dental Medicine in Alton, a grant-funded Head Start unit and educational programs in East St. Louis, and forensic science program in Belleville. In a complex, unionized environment with 17 collective bargaining units, the AVC HR will reengineer core HR processes, strengthen workforce culture and engagement, modernize HR systems and infrastructure, and lead labor relations with credibility and effectiveness. This role requires both strategic perspective and hands-on execution with close collaboration across academic and administrative leadership to ensure HR practices align with institutional priorities, compliance obligations, and SIUE’s commitments to equity, diversity, and anti-racism.

Reporting to the Vice Chancellor for Finance and Administration and working closely with the Chancellor and senior leadership, the AVC HR will build a responsive, collaborative, and high-performing HR organization aligned with the University’s mission and long-term goals, offering a capstone opportunity to shape organizational culture at scale and leave a lasting impact on a complex public university serving the region.

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE) is a nationally recognized, comprehensive public university dedicated to student success, social and economic mobility, and workforce development, combining a strong liberal arts foundation with hands-on research, experiential learning, and real-world application. Situated on 2,660 acres overlooking the Mississippi River bluffs near downtown St. Louis, SIUE enrolls more than 12,500 students across its Edwardsville campus and additional locations in Alton and East St. Louis, offering a broad portfolio of undergraduate, graduate, professional, and doctoral programs spanning the arts and sciences, business, education, engineering, health and human behavior, nursing, pharmacy, and dental medicine. Deeply engaged with its region through clinical education, applied research, and community partnerships addressing workforce, public health, education, and economic development needs, SIUE is grounded in a mission centered on access, equity, community impact, and the preparation of graduates who contribute meaningfully as professionals and leaders.

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/.