Three finalists for the position of vice president for Human Resources & chief human resources officer have been announced and invited to visit campus during the next two weeks. The finalists include Carleen Thompson, Jay Stephens and Kevin Stevenson.
Finalist interviews will include open forums and meetings for each candidate with campus administrators, faculty and staff beginning June 12.
The schedule for the open forums is listed below:
Carleen Thompson - Monday, June 12
Open Forum 1-1:45 p.m. SUB Santa Ana A&B
Thompson Bio
Carleen Thompson has broad experience in organizational leadership, transformational human resource development, performance management, employee benefits, compensation alignment, labor/employee relations, HR analytics and employment law. Thompson’s professional human resource experience in higher education includes her current role as assistant vice chancellor Human Resources for the PIMA College Higher Education System and previous service as vice president Human Resources, Title IX and Inclusive Excellence for Tuskegee University.
Thompson also has prior experience as assistant vice chancellor of Human Resources for Indiana University – Purdue University in Indianapolis, Indiana the largest of the IU campuses, where she was responsible for the areas of compensation/benefits, employment, talent management and organizational design. Her responsibilities also included multi-campus employee and labor relations management.
Thompson’s academic background includes a B.S. from the University of Missouri – Columbia, an M.A. in Human Resource Management from the University of Illinois – Graduate College, Institute of Labor and Industrial Relations with a concentration in human resource management and labor relations. In addition, Thompson received her Juris Doctor from North Carolina Central University School of Law – where she served on the Law Journal Editorial Board. As a dedicated lifelong learner, Thompson recently completed her LLM in International and Comparative Law from Indiana University – The McKinney School of Law.
FULL BIO
Jay Stephens - Wednesday, June 14
Open Forum 1-1:45 p.m. SUB Santa Ana A&B
Stephens Bio
Jay Stephens currently serves as the vice president for Human Capital Services at Kansas State University. Prior to K-State he served for two years as the associate vice president for Human Resources at Boise State University. Before Boise State he spent four years as the director of Human Resources, Affirmative Action Officer and Title IX coordinator at Southern Oregon University. He also spent five years as the director of Human Resources at Utah State University-Eastern.
Overall, Stephens is in his 18th year as the chief human resources officer at a university. Before working in higher education, he was a Human Resources analyst in the Office of Human Resources at the Utah Department of Human Services. He currently is the chair of the national board of directors for the College and University Professional Association for Human Resources (CUPA-HR). Stephens also serves on the TIAA National Advisory Council and the Kansas Board of Regents Retirement Plan Committee.
Stephens grew up in Nevada near Death Valley. He is a graduate of Brigham Young University where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in History with a minor in Portuguese and a Master of Public Administration with an emphasis in HR Management.
FULL BIO
Kevin Stevenson - Thursday, June 22
Open Forum 1-1:45 p.m. SUB Acoma A&B
Stevenson Bio
Kevin Stevenson is an assistant vice president for Human Resources at The University of New Mexico. In this role, he leads a diverse set of departments and functions, including Benefits and Employee Wellness and Employee and Organizational Development, as well as HR Communications, Finance, and Information Technology, while also providing leadership and direction for the HR Division as a whole.
Stevenson was most recently executive director of Human Resources overseeing all Finance, HR IT, and Employee & Organizational Development activities within Human Resources until appointed as assistant vice president in August 2021. Prior to joining HR, Stevenson was the strategic planner in the UNM Office of the President, where he led a variety of university-wide strategic initiatives on behalf of the President, including oversight of the University's strategic plan, and representing the University President in a wide variety of internal and external strategic endeavors.
Stevenson is a senior certified professional in Human Resources and holds a Bachelor of Science in applied mathematics and a Master of Business Administration in technology management, both from UNM.
FULL BIO
The University looks for broad participation from the campus community and encourages faculty, staff, students and the community to attend. Additionally, Zoom links for remote access will be provided for remote access and feedback surveys for each candidate will also be available on the Executive Search website under Vice President for Human Resources & Chief Human Resources Officer.