UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Penn State invites applications, nominations and feedback for the University’s next chief human resources officer and vice president for human resources.
An interim vice president for Human Resources and chief human resources officer has served in the position since the departure of Lorraine Goffe in February 2022.
Reporting to Penn State President Neeli Bendapudi, the vice president for Human Resources and chief human resources officer (CHRO) is a valued member of the president’s senior executive council. The CHRO provides leadership across all human resources organizations and fosters strategic collaborations that drive organizational effectiveness in support of the University’s mission and vision. The CHRO collaborates with Penn State’s academic, research and administrative leaders as they exercise leadership in the well-being and professional development of employees across the University.
The 15-member search committee seeking a successful candidate for this post is chaired by Sara Thorndike, senior vice president for Finance and Business, and includes participants from across the University from:
- Faculty Senate
- Staff Advisory Council
- Development and Alumni Relations
- Penn State Health and the College of Medicine
- Auxiliary and Business Services
- College of Arts and Architecture
- General Counsel
- College of Education
- Administration
- Facilities Management and Planning
- Research
- Applied Research Laboratory
- Penn State Lehigh Valley
Members of the committee will gather information about the qualities and characteristics the University is seeking in this vice-presidential position and will represent the considerations and requirements of the University community in nominating successful candidates.
Penn State has retained Korn Ferry, a national executive search consulting firm, to assist in the search. Penn State invites community members to share their feedback anonymously about the characteristics and qualifications they seek in the successful finalist to PSU-CHRO@kornferry.com. These qualifications and characteristics will be taken into consideration during the candidate screening process.
In addition to feedback from the Penn State community shared directly with Korn Ferry, the results from the 2021 Next Gen Penn State Advisory Group listening process — which includes the feedback of more than 14,000 students, faculty, staff, alumni, donors and other community members — will also be taken into consideration when selecting the next CHRO.
“President Bendapudi asked the search committee to identify candidates who deeply understand and respect shared governance, will attract and retain great people, and are committed to developing staff,” said search chair Thorndike. “We value feedback from the Penn State community as we seek to find a vice president to successfully and seamlessly fill this role.”
The successful candidate of this highly visible leadership role should be an innovative, driven executive who is connected and engaged with faculty and staff, understands the range of employment conditions across the institution, and focuses on contemporary human resource delivery practices. The ideal candidate will have more than 10 years of human resources leadership experience in higher education or other large, complex, organizations and have a background in talent acquisition and development, compensation, benefits and employee relations. A bachelor’s degree in a relevant field is required for this position, though a master’s or doctoral degree is preferred.
Applicants can view the position profile and criteria, and nominations, applications, and inquiries for this position can be sent to Korn Ferry at PSU-CHRO@kornferry.com. Applications received by June 10 will be given full consideration. Review of applications will continue until the position is filled.