Academic Career & Executive Search Tapped by the Cleveland Institute of Art to Recruit CFO
August 12, 2025 – Academic Career & Executive Search (ACES) has been retained by the Cleveland Institute of Art (CIA) to lead in its search for a new vice president for business affairs and CFO. Jennifer Muller, managing partner, is leading the search. Reporting to the president and CEO, the CFO provides strategic oversight of all financial operations, including the development and management of operating and capital budgets, long-term financial planning, and the strategic allocation of resources.
This position leads financial reporting, accounting, tax compliance, investment strategy, and cash and debt management, according to the job spec. The CFO also oversees financial systems, internal controls, regulatory compliance, audits, and legal and contract coordination. In close partnership with college leadership, the CFO designs and implements financing strategies that support capital projects, renovations, and institutional initiatives, ensuring CIA’s financial health and alignment with its mission and strategic goals.
This highly visible and collaborative role calls for a strategic thinker who is fluent in the technical, relational, and human dimensions of financial leadership. CIA is committed to building a business model that supports long-term resilience, alternative revenue generation, and a deeply student-centered mission. The CFO will play an instrumental role in bringing that vision to life. The successful candidate is tech savvy, understands the need to make key strategic investments, and will continue to maintain the institution’s culture of transparency and open communication.
The Cleveland Institute of Art is a nationally recognized college of art and design committed to nurturing creativity, innovation, and artistic excellence. Founded in 1882, CIA offers a rigorous studio-based education in 13 majors, including illustration, animation, industrial design, game design, painting, sculpture + expanded media, and more.
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 resources 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.
Collaborative for Higher Education Shared Services Search
ACES recently has placed Shaun McAlmont as CEO of CHESS (Collaborative for Higher Education Shared Services). He succeeds founding CEO Kathy Ulibarri, who will retire after guiding CHESS from its formation in 2021 to its emergence as a national model for shared services in higher education. Jennifer Muller, managing partner, led the search. CHESS board chair and president of Santa Fe Community College, Dr. Becky Rowley, praised Ms. Ulibarri’s tenure and welcomed Dr. McAlmont to the role. “Kathy Ulibarri led CHESS from concept to implementation with deep commitment, foresight, and skill,” she said. “She established a culture of trust, equity, and innovation that sets the stage for our next chapter. We are thrilled to welcome Dr. McAlmont, whose experience and passion for student success will strengthen and expand CHESS’s impact across New Mexico and beyond.”
“From day one, our mission was to prove that higher education institutions could work together in bold new ways to improve the student experience,” said Ms. Ulibarri. “I’m proud of the culture we’ve built, the systems we’ve launched, and most of all, the collaborative spirit that drives our member colleges. I’m confident that Dr. McAlmont will take CHESS to the next level.”
Related: Academic Career & Executive Search Seeking New HR Leader for Fort Hays State University
Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief and Dale M. Zupsansky, Executive Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
