Academic Career & Executive Search Tapped by Empire State University to Find VP of HR and Chief Human Resources Officer
November 7, 2024 – Academic Career & Executive Search (ACES) has been retained by Empire State University to lead in its search for a vice president of human resources and chief human resources officer. Jennifer Muller, managing partner, is leading the search.
The executive will play a critical role in translating strategic vision into action. In this inaugural position, they will bring strategy, thought leadership, and inclusive organizational practices to human resources in support of the university’s commitment to its diverse students, faculty, and staff. The individual will be charged with creating an inclusive culture of continuous improvement in service to a distributed workforce. They will also be charged with understanding and building on the strengths of the human resources department to identify new areas of opportunity as the university grows its ranks of faculty and staff.
ACES also notes that changing management experience will be critical, as will cultural redirection that promotes communication, honesty, and a team-oriented philosophy. Moreover, this leader will oversee the creation and sustaining of programs to attract and retain top talent and build the university’s reputation as an innovative and inclusive employer of choice.
This position reports to the president and leads the human resources department staff of 10. The institution currently employs 824 (full and part time) faculty and 504 staff. This position is a fully on-site role and does not offer the opportunity for a hybrid or remote work arrangement.
Founded in 1971 as the innovative campus of the State University of New York (SUNY), Empire State University “empowers learners from diverse backgrounds to achieve their educational goals.” SUNY Empire has decades of experience providing educational access through high-quality online teaching and learning, individualized instruction, mentoring, and prior learning assessment. The institution is deeply committed to promoting diversity and inclusion and builds on students’ experiences to promote their growth and drive upward mobility and economic development in New York State and beyond.
Based in West Hartford, CT, Academic Career & Executive Search focuses on executive search services, career planning, and candidate coaching. Specializing in challenging faculty to senior administrative positions, the firm offers six a la carte services spanning full search, candidate generation, interim, multi-hire, and contingency search. Candidate support services include webinars, career planning, and candidate coaching. Its team has served in virtually every capacity in higher education including president, vice president, provost, dean, chief human research officer, and faculty members across all types and sizes of institutions.
Ms. Muller has more than 20 years of research and development experience in higher education and Fortune 500 companies. She has led over 70 higher education searches both domestically and internationally spanning presidents, vice presidents, associate chancellors, deans, directors, chairs, and faculty level positions. Ms. Muller is former vice chair of the American Council on Education (ACE) Executive Search Roundtable and serves as an advisor in the numerous ACE leadership development forums.
Recent Search
Academic Career & Executive Search recently placed John Michael Leger as chief executive officer and dean, school of nursing at Tarleton State University in Stephenville, TX. “Dr. Leger is well-equipped to lead our School of Nursing, having over 20 years of experience as a healthcare executive, including roles such as chief nursing officer, vice president of nursing, and hospital CEO,” said Ramona Parker, associate vice president and executive dean for the College of Health Sciences. “I am excited about the opportunities that lie ahead and am confident that, under his leadership, we will continue to advance and strengthen our program.”
Dr. Leger comes to Tarleton State after spending the past 10 years at the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) at Galveston. In this role, he has served as a professor, track coordinator for the Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) executive nurse leadership track, and the inaugural interim track coordinator for the nursing PhD program.
A founding member of The Texas A&M System, Tarleton State University is breaking records — in enrollment, research, scholarship, athletics, philanthropy and engagement — while transforming the lives of approximately 18,000 students in Stephenville, Fort Worth, Waco, Bryan and online.
Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief and Dale M. Zupsansky, Executive Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
