These 21 people make up CSU President Amy Parsons' cabinet

Amy Parsons' first job after being hired as Colorado State University's 16th president was to hire a leadership team to help her oversee a Fort Collins campus of more than 33,000 students, about 10,000 employees, annual research expenditures of nearly $500 million and an operating budget of about $1.5 billion.

National searches, interviews and conversations with search committees took up a lot of her time in her first year in office, she said. But filling those roles with the right people will be critical to not only her success as a president but also the university's long-term mission.

Her most important hire was Marion Underwood as provost, the university's chief academic officer, and executive vice president. But she also filled several other positions on her 21-member cabinet through other national searches that yielded well-qualified candidates, Faculty Council chair Melinda Smith said.

The last two hires, Underwood and Cassandra Moseley, the vice president for research, began work in January 2024, juts before the one-year anniversary Feb. 1 of Parsons' first official day as president.

"The cabinet itself is fully seated, and I just can't tell you what a relief that is," Parsons said. "... So, everybody is set and ready to go, and that's going to help me get out and about in the state a little bit more, which I didn't have as much time as I wanted this first year to visit our experiment stations and extension offices around the state, because I was still building the team."

Here's a look at that team, the members of Parsons' cabinet:

Provost and Executive Vice President Marion Underwood

The former dean for the College of Health and Human Sciences and professor of psychological sciences at Purdue University was hired in October 2023 and began working for CSU in January. She was previously a faculty member at Reed College in Portland, Oregon, and professor and administrator at University of Texas-Dallas.

Senior Vice President Rick Miranda

The faculty member at CSU since 1982 and administrator since 1997 has served in a variety of roles, most recently as interim president from July 2022 through January 2023. Miranda previously served as dean of the College of Natural Sciences, provost and executive vice president, and chief academic officer of the CSU System.

Vice President for Operations and Chief Financial Officer Brendan Hanlon

Hanlon began working at CSU in August 2022 after previously serving as deputy mayor and chief financial officer for the City and County of Denver, where he had worked since 2000.

Vice President for Information Technology and Chief Information Officer Brandon Bernier

Bernier began working in his current role at CSU in 2018 and in January added the expanded role of also serving as chief information officer for the CSU System. He previously held IT leadership positions at University of Wisconsin-Madison and Oakland University in Michigan.

Chief of Staff Rico Munn

The former superintendent of Aurora Public Schools began working at CSU in February 2023. Munn previously served as executive director of the Colorado Department of Higher Education and Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies and was a member of the CSU System Board of Governors from 2013 to 2020 and Colorado Board of Education from 2003 to 2007.

Vice President for Advancement Derek Dictson

The former vice president of university advancement and president of the university foundation at New Mexico State was hired in March and began working for CSU on May 1, 2023. Dictson previously held development leadership roles at Auburn University and Texas A&M and management positions in the private and nonprofit sectors.

Vice President for Engagement and Extension James Prichett

Prichett was selected for his new role in September 2023 to begin work in January 2024. He has served in a variety of leadership roles since coming to CSU in 2001 as a faculty member in the College of Agricultural Sciences, including serving as dean and executive associate dean of that college and assistant vice president for engagement.

Vice President for Human Resources Eric Ray

Ray took on his current role in August 2023 after previously serving as CSU’s executive director of strategic partnerships and employee relations. Ray spent 18 years prior to that in human resources leadership roles with JBS USA, a company with more than 100,000 employees working at more than 100 facilities in the U.S., Canada and Australia.

Vice President for Inclusive Excellence Kauline Cipriani

Cipriani was hired in August 2021 after previously serving as associate dean for inclusive excellence at Gillings School of Global Public Health at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill.

Vice President for Marketing and Communications Kyle Henley

Henley returned to CSU in May 2023 after serving as senior vice president and chief communications officer at the University of Southern California. Henley previously served as vice president for university communications at the University of Oregon, in communications leadership roles at CSU and as corporate communications manager for CoBank.

Vice President for Research Cassandra Moseley

Moseley began work at CSU in Jaunary 2024 after more than 20 years as an administrator and research professor at the University of Oregon, including serving as vice provost for academic operations and strategy and interim vice president for research and innovation.

Vice President for Student Affairs Blanche Hughes

Hughes moved into her current role in the fall of 2005 after spending the previous six years as an assistant and associate vice president for student affairs and 11 years before that as director of Black Student Services at CSU. She also spent two years teaching sociology at Pikes Peak Community College in Colorado Springs, serving as department chair for one year.

Interim Vice President for Enrollment and Access Kevin MacLennan

MacLennan was named to his interim position in October 2023. He previously served as associate vice chancellor and assistant vice chancellor of enrollment management at the University of Colorado-Boulder.

Vice Provost for Planning and Effectiveness Laura Jensen

Jensen has served in various administrative roles at CSU, her alma mater, since 2008, including assistant director and then assistant provost for institutional research. She previously worked in institutional research at Front Range Community College and psychiatric research at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center (now the Anschutz campus).

Special Advisor to the President and Chancellor Brett Anderson

Anderson is former global managing partner of Accenture’s communications and high-tech customer relationship management practice and managing partner of Accenture’s Denver office, where he oversaw more than 5,000 people and $2 billion in operations. He previously served as vice president for university advancement at CSU, his alma mater.

President and CEO of CSU STRATA Ajay Menon

The former dean of CSU’s colleges of Agricultural Sciences (2015 to 2019) and Business (2002 to 2015) moved into his current position in October 2019. He previously served as Colorado’s first chief innovation officer under former Gov. John Hickenlooper and on the faculty of CSU’s Marketing Department.

President and CEO of CSU Foundation Cheri O’Neill

O'Neill began working for the CSU Foundation in 2018 after 17 years at the University of Indiana in admissions, alumni relations, international recruiting and advancement. O'Neill previously served as CEO of the 200,000-member Alpha Chi Omega women’s fraternity and Ball State University Foundation.

Deputy General Counsel Jannine Mohr

A member of the CSU System’s Office of the General Counsel since 2008, Mohr was previously an attorney in private practice in Denver and a law clerk for Judge Barry Ted Moskowitz in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California.

Director of Athletics Joe Parker

Parker began working at CSU in March 2015 after serving as deputy athletic director at Texas Tech. Parker previously served as senior associate athletic director at the universities of Michigan, Oklahoma, Washington State and Texas.

Director of Presidential and Administrative Communications June Greist

Greist returned to CSU in March 2023 after serving 10 years as communications director for the Bohemian Foundation. Greist previously held leadership roles in CSU’s Marketing and Communications Division.

Chair of Faculty Council Melinda Smith

The CSU biology professor is a community/ecosystem ecologist who was elected chair of the Faculty Council for the 2023-24 academic year after serving as vice chair in 2022-23 and as the council’s representative to the CSU System Board of Governors in 2021-22.

Reporter Kelly Lyell covers education, breaking news, some sports and other topics of interest for the Coloradoan. Contact him at kellylyell@coloradoan.com, twitter.com/KellyLyell or facebook.com/KellyLyell.news.

This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: Meet Colorado State University President Amy Parsons' cabinet