Kody Kelleher has been selected as the University of Oregon’s new university secretary and advisor to the president. He will officially begin his position on Aug. 15. 

Kelleher is currently working at the University of Arizona as its assistant vice president and associate secretary of the university. He has been in this position since July 2023, but has worked at the University of Arizona for nearly six years. Kelleher previously held the position of senior advisor for just over five years.

According to the UO Office of the President, the university secretary and advisor to the president is responsible for facilitating and coordinating the Board of Trustees’ activities.

The secretary’s roles include, “strategic planning, meeting preparation, staffing and managing relationships between the board and university administrators.” 

The secretary also ensures compliance with public meeting laws, and attends and keeps record of all board and committee meetings and manages board activities.

Kelleher’s responsibilities additionally include maintaining university policies made by the board or president and serving as an advisor to President John Karl Scholz. He will manage projects, provide strategic advice and represent Scholz.

Jamie Moffitt, the senior vice president for finance and administration and chief financial officer, was the chair of the search committee for Kelleher’s position. 

She said she was “very pleased” that Kelleher will be stepping into the role of university secretary and advisor to the president. 

“[Kelleher’s] extensive board experience and time working within higher education at the University of Arizona made him an extremely strong candidate,” Moffitt said. 

According to Moffitt, the committee was looking for a leader who matched the skills and experiences they deemed necessary for the job. The committee reviewed written applications and went through multiple rounds of interviews to select the ideal candidate.

The committee was searching for candidates with, “highly effective and professional verbal communication skills, the ability to communicate effectively with individuals from diverse backgrounds, meeting preparation experience and excellent writing skills,” Moffitt said.

John Dudas, senior vice president and chief of staff at the University of Arizona, worked closely with Kelleher at his former position.

“Kody is an incredible colleague who makes everyone on the team better,” Dudas said. “His knowledge of the university, the board and the legislature coupled with his intelligence, work ethic and people skills make him invaluable. He is also fun — he takes his work, but not himself, seriously.”

Kelleher explained why he applied for the secretary position.

“I have worked in higher education and state government in Arizona for many years and reached a point where I was ready for a new experience,” Kelleher said. “I am a big believer in the value of public higher education in society, so I knew I wanted to join a preeminent public research university and the mission of the University of Oregon, and its place nationally, really stood out.”

Kelleher said he has been very interested in the governance of public universities in the United States, particularly those who face competition for funding and enrollment. 

Kelleher explained that he was impressed with President Scholz and his vision for UO moving forward. 

“I had to jump at the opportunity to work with him and the great leadership team he’s built who are positioning UO to excel at the national level,” Kelleher said.

“Being able to serve in a position that works closely with the UO Board of Trustees, which is a truly high-caliber group of leaders, to strategically advance the university sounded like a great and interesting opportunity,” Kelleher said.

According to Kelleher,  his experience before beginning his position at the University of Arizona has allowed him to observe how large universities operate.

“I also worked at Arizona Board of Regents and as a senior education policy advisor at the Arizona Legislature for several years, so my background has allowed me to see how large public universities operate from various perspectives, which I believe will be very useful moving into this new role at UO,” Kelleher said.

Kelleher explained that his priority is to get to know the students, faculty and staff once he begins his position. 

“I am eager to get to campus and connect with people. I’ve been fortunate to have already met many people at the university who have all been incredibly welcoming to my family and I, so I am very grateful for the opportunity and am excited to get to work,” Kelleher said.