Matt Ballinger
Executive Director of Public Safety and Chief of Police
Matt is responsible for the management and oversight of the University of Illinois Police Department and Division of Public Safety. He was hired as a police officer in 2004 and has served on the department’s command staff since 2019. Matt has won a number of awards for his work in policing, including the 2012 Illinois Law Enforcement Medal of Honor. During his long tenure on campus, he has formed strong relationships with community members and developed an intimate knowledge of the needs of the university population. Prior to serving the campus community, Ballinger served four years in the Army 3rd Ranger Battalion.
David Bambrey
Associate Vice Chancellor for Alumni Relations
David is the President of the University of Illinois Alumni Association, leveraging his extensive experience in alumni and student engagement. Prior to this role, he served the University since 2018 as Vice President of Alumni & Student Engagement. Before joining the University of Illinois, he held several positions at Ohio University, including the interim Assistant Vice President of Alumni Relations and Executive Director of the OHIO Alumni Association. Additionally, Bambrey’s experience includes several roles at the Institute for Entrepreneurial Excellence at the University of Pittsburgh. He holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Washington & Jefferson College.
Rashid Bashir
Vice Chancellor for Chicago Strategic Partnerships
Rashid Bashir manages and promotes a visible university presence in Chicago, primarily through his leadership of the Discovery Partners Institute, an important part of the technology and innovation ecosystem in Chicago and across the state, shaping the future of computing and economic development for Illinois, the Midwest, and beyond. He holds a B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering. In addition to his vice chancellor role, he continues to hold appointments as a Professor of Bioengineering, the Grainger Distinguished Chair in Engineering, and the 15th Dean of The Grainger College of Engineering.
John Coleman
John oversees campus academic programs, policies, and priorities, which are designed to ensure the quality of the educational experience for students and to sustain an environment that encourages and supports academic excellence. He was previously dean of the College of Liberal Arts and a professor of political science at the University of Minnesota since 2014. Having served nearly his entire academic career in Big Ten, public land-grant research universities, he brings a profound understanding of our foundational obligations to translate knowledge, education and exploration into better lives for those we serve. John earned a Ph.D. in political science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a B.A. summa cum laude in government and history from Clark University.
Gioconda Guerra-Pérez
Interim Vice Chancellor for Access, Civil Rights, and Community
Gio leads the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Access, Civil Rights & Community (ACRC) and serves as the university’s senior leader for civil rights compliance, equal opportunity, and inclusive community building. Her portfolio encompasses the Office of Academic Inclusive Excellence, Office for Access & Equity, and the university’s Civil Rights Coordinators (ADA, Title VI, and Title IX). As Executive Associate Vice Chancellor for ACRC (formerly OVCDEI) she oversees campus-wide initiatives that promote inclusive excellence, student success, and a sense of belonging from enrollment through graduation. She joined Illinois in 2013 as the Director of La Casa Cultural Latina. Born and raised in Panama, Gio received her Ph.D. in Educational Leadership and Organizational Development and an M.A. in Sociology and Communication from the University of Louisville, KY.
Aimee Heeter
Senior Vice Chancellor for Finance and Administration
Aimee Heeter leads the university’s financial and administrative organizations by serving as chief steward of financial and administrative operations. She oversees integrated units including budget and resource planning, capital planning, purchasing, facilities and services, public safety, and key administrative policy and operations functions. Her work aligns financial stewardship with operational excellence to advance the university’s academic mission. Aimee joined Illinois from Indiana University as Vice Provost of Finance & Administration. Aimee holds a B.A., M.S., and doctorate in higher education finance from Indiana University.
Robin Kaler
Chief of Staff and Vice Chancellor for Administrative Strategy
Robin Kaler serves as Chief of Staff and Vice Chancellor for Administrative Strategy in the Office of the Chancellor. In this role, she advises the chancellor and provides leadership for strategic initiatives, policy development, administrative accountability, communications, issues management, and special projects. Her reporting units include the Office of the Senate, PreK–12 Initiatives, Government Relations, the Strategic Project Management Office, and Strategic Communications and Marketing. Robin has been with the university since 1989 and holds three degrees from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign—a bachelor’s and a master’s in Journalism, and a Master of Business Administration.
Dr. Kim Kidwell
Associate Chancellor for Strategic Partnerships and Initiatives
Dr. Kidwell assists the Chancellor with the strategic development of high-priority, high-impact, multi-stakeholder initiatives for the University. She provides leadership in pursuing resources and developing new and sustained partnerships with academic institutions, foundations, federal and state agencies, alumni, and the private sector. These coalitions are designed to better position the University to translate scientific discoveries and innovations to communities that empower youth, workforce, and economic development. Dr. Kidwell serves on the leadership team of iFAB, a consortium awarded $51.4 M to create a “lab to line” biomanufacturing and precision fermentation ecosystem in Central Illinois.
Susan Martinis
Senior Vice Chancellor for Research & Innovation
Susan provides leadership for the productive, safe and ethical conduct of research at Illinois. She oversees the campus-wide interdisciplinary research institutes, promotes new research initiatives and leads the administrative, regulatory, compliance and business functions that underpin the research enterprise. She is also the Stephen G. Sligar Professor of Molecular and Cellular Biology and is a scholar in the areas of mechanisms, evolution and biomedical applications of protein synthesis and RNA-protein interactions. She received her bachelor’s degree from Washington State University in 1985 and her Ph.D. from Illinois in 1990.
Shari Mickey-Boggs
Senior Associate Chancellor for Human Resources
Shari began her role as Senior Associate Chancellor for Human Resources on March 1, 2022. She provides strategic advice to University leaders on all human resources matters. She previously served as the Chief Human Resources Officer and Secretary to the Board of Trustees for Wright State University; Senior Associate Vice President for HR at Xavier University; and in various HR roles including Director of Employee & Labor Relations, and Director of Organization & HR Consulting with The Ohio State University. Shari holds a B.A. in Political Science from The Ohio State University and an MBA from Franklin University.
Colleen Murphy
Interim Associate Chancellor and Vice Provost for Global Affairs and Strategies Designate
Colleen leads Illinois International and serves as the university’s senior international officer, overseeing campuswide initiatives and programs that promote global learning, discovery, and engagement. Her portfolio encompasses Global Communications, Global Education and Training, Global Relations, Illinois Abroad and Global Exchange, Intensive English Institute, International Safety and Security, and International Student and Scholar Services. Colleen also serves as the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and the Roger & Stephany Joslin Professor of Law in the College of Law. She holds a M.A. and Ph.D. in philosophy from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a B.A. from the University of Notre Dame.
Allison Copenbarger Vance
Allison leads Strategic Communications and Marketing, the central communications and marketing office for the university. StratCom includes internal and external communications, media relations, FOIA, news, design, web development, social media, marketing, web services, photography, video, analytics, issues management and events. She also oversees the university brand and the communications and marketing team for the Office of the Provost. Allison is a two-time Illinois alumna, with a master’s degree in advertising and a bachelor’s degree in journalism.
Wanda E. Ward
Executive Associate Chancellor for Public Engagement
Wanda provides strategic leadership for the university and broader community to advance the university’s public engagement mission. She oversees Public Engagement and Community and Government Relations. She joined the university in 2018 as the Executive Associate Chancellor for Administration and University Relations after serving for more than two decades as a senior administrator at the National Science Foundation. In January 2023, Wanda was appointed by President Biden to a six-year term as a member of the National Science Board on which she serves as the vice chair for the NSB–NSF Commission on Merit Review. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Princeton University and a doctoral degree from Stanford University.
Morgan White
Interim Associate Vice Chancellor, Facilities & Services
Morgan oversees the university’s physical plant and essential services unit. She ensures the upkeep and development of campus infrastructure that supports the academic mission. Morgan brings extensive experience from her previous roles in F&S. Beginning in 2007, she focused on sustainable transportation and went on to pioneer university-wide sustainability initiatives through the Illinois Climate Action Plan. Her efforts have been rewarded with Green Power Awards, Tree Campus recognition, green building certifications, and designation as a Bicycle Friendly University.
Josh Whitman
Director of Athletics, Division of Intercollegiate Athletics
Josh was named director of athletics in February, 2016. He previously served as athletic director at Washington University and at the University of Wisconsin – La Crosse. He is a licensed attorney and previously practiced in Washington, D.C., serving clients that included Microsoft and the NFL. He also served as a judicial law clerk on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. He was a four year starting football player at Illinois and spent several seasons playing in the National Football League. He holds his bachelor’s and law degrees from Illinois.
Dale Wright
Vice Chancellor for Advancement
Dale is the senior advancement officer for the campus with a split reporting role to the Chancellor and to the President of the University of Illinois Foundation. Prior to Illinois, Wright served in advancement leadership roles at the University of Missouri-Columbia, where he earned multiple degrees. He has more than 25 years of experience in higher education and nonprofit fundraising, including three comprehensive capital campaigns exceeding $1Billion each.
Danita M. Brown Young
Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs
Danita serves as the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs at Illinois. Student Affairs consists of many of the departments that create learning experiences for students outside the classroom such as University Housing, the Dean of Students Office, the Illini Union, the Counseling Center, Campus Recreation, Illinois Leadership and the cultural houses. She previously served as Vice Provost for Student Affairs and Dean of Students at the University of Minnesota. She holds a bachelor’s degree in sociology from Kent State University, a master’s degree in Community Counseling from Loyola University Chicago, and a Ph.D. in Higher Education Administration from Ohio University.
Special Advisors to the Chancellor
Kelvin Droegemeier
Special Advisor to the Chancellor for Science and Policy
Kelvin, who formerly led the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and who joined the faculty of the Department of Atmospheric Sciences in 2023, has a shared appointment as a Special Advisor to the Chancellor for Science and Policy. In this capacity, he works closely with the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research and Innovation to advise on federal initiatives, policies and strategic opportunities in areas such as sustaining climate and ensuring resiliency in our ecosystems.
Irvin Hunt
Special Advisor to the Chancellor for Arts Integration
In this role, Irvin leads the office’s efforts to embed the arts into all aspects and missions of the university. He is a widely published writer, scholar, and teacher whose work joins humor, history, and mourning across a multitude of genres, from screenplays and short stories to creative nonfiction and historical studies. With support from the Campus Research Board, he is currently co-curating a traveling exhibition on black fatherhood and love in photographs. He is an Associate Professor of English and African American Studies and holds an M.A. from the University of California, Berkeley, and a Ph.D. from Columbia University.