New chief of staff sought

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@ChloeHenson5

UNM President Robert Frank’s administration is seeking a University faculty member to take over the recently vacated chief of staff post.

Chief Marketing and Communications Officer Cinnamon Blair said the University has began an internal search for chief of staff after former UNM Chief of Staff Dorothy Rodriguez resigned for personal reasons.

Rodriguez had an annual salary of $127,500, according to the Albuquerque Journal. According to the UNM Sunshine Portal, the annual salary for the chief of staff is $145,674.

Blair said that because of certain policies, she could not reveal some aspects of the hiring process, including the candidates currently contending for the position.

“I’m kind of hampered by our policies in terms of divulging information during the search,” she said.

A selection committee will review the qualifications of the candidates for the position, but the UNM president will ultimately decide who to interview and select, she said.

According to an email statement, UNM President Robert Frank said his two years at UNM has taught him much about what he needs in a chief of staff.

“The three areas of strength that I’m looking for in this position are excellent management skills, the ability to connect my office with the faculty and strong interpersonal skills,” he said. “This is a seven-day–a-week job that operates at a fast pace. The ideal candidate will have a demonstrated work history of applying theses skills to the complexities of our university.”

Chief of staff candidates must be UNM faculty members and have at least five years of executive or administrative experience at a research institution with “very high research activity” as classified by the Carnegie Foundation, according to the job posting.

Preferred qualifications for the candidates include knowledge and understanding of UNM institutional policies, knowledge of fundraising programs and methods and knowledge of the goals and objectives of a major public research university, according to the posting.

Blair said the chief of staff reports directly to the UNM president and is a member of the president’s senior staff. She said the position demands a variety of duties, such as overseeing the coordination of meetings, acting as a liaison between the university and the community and being present at events.

Blair said there is no definitive date for when the search will end.

“It’s just going to depend on how long it takes to do the screening process and the interview,” she said. “We’re hoping to get it done as quickly as possible.”