Isaacson, Miller Helps Recruits 25th President for Marquette University

February 5, 2025 – Boston-based Isaacson, Miller has assisted in the recruitment of Kimo Ah Yun as the 25th president of Marquette University. He is the first person of color to lead Marquette and the Catholic, Jesuit university’s second lay president in its 143-year history. Vice president and director Julie Filizetti, partner Phillip Petree, and senior associate Rafael Escobedo, led the assignment. Past president Michael Lovell recently died after a three-year battle with cancer. “Dr. Kimo Ah Yun is a proven leader who has demonstrated an extraordinary commitment to Marquette University’s Catholic, Jesuit mission, vision and values,” said Todd Adams, board chair. “As provost and acting president, he has been a leader in the university’s proactive efforts toward continuous improvement to ensure Marquette thrives for generations to come. Marquette is in a strong position in a challenging environment for higher education, and the board of trustees has full confidence in his ability to provide the stability necessary to lead Marquette forward to achieve our vision of being among the most innovative and accomplished Catholic, Jesuit universities in the world.”
Dr. Ah Yun’s unanimous election by the board of trustees is the culmination of an intensive search process led by the board of trustees and an 11-person search committee that began in July. The search committee and executive search firm Isaacson, Miller conducted a national review of higher education leaders and recruited a pool of candidates that included sitting presidents, provosts, deans and members of the Society of Jesus.
“Dr. Ah Yun is a committed Catholic and a servant leader,” said Very Rev. Karl Kiser, S.J., provincial of the USA Midwest Province of the Society of Jesus. “On behalf of the Society of Jesus, I congratulate Dr. Ah Yun and his family, and I look forward to working in partnership with Dr. Ah Yun and his leadership team as we continue to serve the greater glory of God.”
Dr. Ah Yun joined Marquette in 2016 as dean of the Diederich College of Communication, was named acting provost in 2018 and then permanent provost and executive vice president for academic affairs in 2019. A first-generation college student, he is committed to furthering the university’s mission of educational access and ensuring all students are successful from their first day to their first destination following graduation.
Grounded in its Catholic, Jesuit Mission
“My top priority is ensuring we continue to provide a transformational education for our students so that our graduates are problem-solvers and agents of change,” said Dr. Ah Yun. “Grounded in its Catholic, Jesuit mission, Marquette was founded on the promise of educational access, and as we approach our 150th anniversary, students remain at the heart of all that we do. I look forward to continuing to work closely with our faculty, staff, students, alumni and Milwaukee community in our continuous pursuit of excellence, faith, leadership and service.”
Prior to joining Marquette, Dr. Ah Yun was associate dean of the College of Arts and Letters at California State University, Sacramento, where he also served as chair of the department of communication studies, director of the Center for Teaching and Learning, and professor of communication studies. An accomplished scholar and teacher, he has received awards from California State University, Sacramento, and the International Communication Association.
Marquette University is a private, coeducational, Catholic, Jesuit institution in Milwaukee, WI. The university has an enrollment of approximately 11,400 students: 7,700 undergraduates (1,900 first-year students), 3,700 graduate and professional (i.e., dental, education, health sciences, law and nursing) students; students typically come from all 50 states and more than 60 countries. Founded in 1881, Marquette is one of 28 Catholic, Jesuit universities in the United States and is the largest private university in Wisconsin.
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A nationally recognized search firm focused on recruiting transformational leaders for mission-driven organizations, Isaacson, Miller has conducted thousands of placements over more than three decades. More than half of the firm’s work has been in academia, involving university presidents, college chancellors and deans. The firm has filled top leadership posts at Wellesley College, Washington State University, Miami University, Howard University, Bowdoin College, Dartmouth, NYU, Virginia State University, and the University of North Carolina, among others.
Ms. Filizetti leads Isaacson, Miller’s San Francisco office. She focuses primarily on higher education leadership roles in public and private institutions, including presidents, provosts, vice presidents, deans and directors. She also conducts searches in a range of areas, including academic medicine, training and development, advancement, research, and technology. Since coming to Isaacson, Miller in 2007, Ms. Filizetti has developed strong relationships with many clients who turn to her for her ability to adapt to an organization’s needs and grow their leadership capacity.
Mr. Petree joined Isaacson, Miller in 2006 and serves as co-lead of the firm’s human services practice. He spearheads a diverse portfolio of executive leadership searches in higher education, human services and environmental organizations and has been lauded for his experience in finding successors to long-serving leaders across all sectors. In higher education, Mr. Petree has conducted leadership searches for Harvard Business School, John Carroll University, University of Chicago and University of South Carolina; he serves as the human services practice area lead and has recruited CEOs for Chimes International, Community Resources for Justice, Hope Haven, Key Program, and South Middlesex Opportunity Council; and for environmental organizations, he has conducted searches for the EARTH University Foundation, Pure Earth and Second Nature.
Mr. Escobedo joined Isaacson, Miller as an Associate in 2021. Prior to joining the firm, he was an assistant director of admissions at Dartmouth College, where he worked on access initiatives. Before that, Mr. Escobedo worked on the global initiatives team at the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s office of admissions and recruitment.
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Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief and Dale M. Zupsansky, Executive Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media