Greenwood Asher & Associates Assists Southeast Missouri State University with President Search
April 29, 2025 – Miramar Beach, FL-based executive recruitment firm Greenwood Asher & Associates recently assisted in the recruitment of Brad Hodson as the 19th president of Southeast Missouri State University (SEMO). Julie Schrodt, senior executive search consultant, and Jim Johnsen, vice president of executive search, led the assignment. Following a rigorous application review and interview process, the appointment of Dr. Hodson culminates a national search launched last fall.
“The board is excited to make this announcement and strongly believes in Dr. Hodson’s ability to lead SEMO,” said board of governors president Jim Limbaugh. “The university presidency is a complex job, it is ever changing, and it is drastically different than what it was even just a few years ago. From the outset, the board has been clear about its criteria for the next president: someone with knowledge of, and could establish a strong presence in, Jefferson City; someone that would place an emphasis on enrollment; someone with experience in philanthropy and fundraising; someone with a strong financial acumen; and someone that could build relationships both internal and external to the university—these were the characteristics that the board felt were critical for the next president of the university.”
“Dr. Hodson meets and exceeds these criteria,” Mr. Limbaugh said. “With 30 years of higher education experience, he has a clear understanding of the fiscal and enrollment challenges facing higher education in general and regional comprehensive institutions in particular. He has significant experience raising external resources, working with the legislature, supervising critical campus units, engaging with students, making important hiring decisions, and so many other strengths necessary to succeed in the role.”
“It truly speaks to the caliber of Dr. Hodson’s candidacy that out of all of the applicants reviewed and interviewed, that the presidential search advisory committee–comprised of representatives from faculty, staff, students, foundation, alumni, and the external community– felt strongly enough to ask Dr. Hodson to campus as the sole finalist,” said Mr. Limbaugh. “After watching him share his vision for SEMO with our university community, we are confident he is the right candidate to advance the University’s mission and drive further progress.”
Dr. Hodson has served as executive vice president of his alma mater Missouri Southern State University (MSSU) since 2015 where he has experience with budget strategy and development including overseeing the university’s endowment. In this role, he led the Admissions team to the largest enrollment in MSSU history in 2016 and the four largest first-time/full-time classes in university history in 2015-2018. Prior to Missouri Southern, Dr. Hodson served as the vice president for advancement at Pittsburg State University. There, he oversaw fundraising, alumni and constituent relations, public relations and marketing, career services, public broadcasting, economic development and applied research efforts.
“As we have gotten to know Dr. Hodson, the board has no doubt that he is the right person to lead this transformative milestone in SEMO’s history,” said Mr. Limbaugh. “We are eager to work with him to build on the university’s many successes and strengthen its future for the students and the region we serve.”
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“SEMO is a university with tremendous momentum and a very bright future,” said Dr. Hodson. “I am excited for the opportunity to lead its next chapter. I’m grateful to the board of governors for this exciting opportunity and look forward to joining Redhawk Nation this summer.”
Offering More Than 200 Academic Programs
Founded in 1873, Southeast Missouri State University has five colleges offering more than 200 academic programs in the form of bachelor’s, master’s and specialist’s degrees and 20 certificate programs. The University’s annual budget is more than $150 million, with more than 1,000 faculty and staff members and 9,600 students. Southeast offers a 20:1 student-faculty ratio, and the average class size is 20.
Greenwood Asher & Associates is an executive search firm with a diverse consulting team and extensive experience in executive search, consulting, and training for education markets including elementary, secondary, higher education, university systems, campuses and non-profit organizations including associations, service, and cultural institutions. The firm was acquired in 2020 by Kelly Education, a global leader in workforce management solutions offering staffing services to top companies.
Ms. Schrodt’s responsibilities include coordinating the development of the search, recruiting candidates, referencing, and presenting a qualified candidate pool of candidates to the search committee. Previously, she was executive director of strategic communications at Northwest Florida State College.
Mr. Johnsen serves Greenwood Asher & Associates and its clients by developing partnerships informed by his background in, and passion for, leadership in higher education, business, and government. Prior to joining the firm, he served as a senior fellow at the National Association of System Heads (NASH), lecturer in the School of Management at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, commissioner for the Western Interstate Commission on Higher Education, and Alaska representative to the State Higher Education Executive Officers.
Related: Greenwood Asher & Associates Assists the University of Arkansas System with President Search
Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief and Dale M. Zupsansky, Executive Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
