Eileen Klein, chief of staff for Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer, has accepted the position of president of the Arizona Board of Regents.
“Ms. Klein embodies all of the leadership attributes the board sought when we embarked on our search for a new president,” said Rick Myers, ABOR chair. “She is a seasoned leader with a proven track record of success in managing large, complex organizations and experience in senior management.”
In her capacity with the governor’s office, Klein already has worked closely with ABOR to develop a new performance-based funding model for the university system in which state funds are allocated to the universities based on meeting performance metrics in the areas of degrees produced, student credit hours earned and increases in externally financed research and public outreach expenditures.
“She has a keen ability to bring diverse groups together to develop consensus around sound public and fiscal policy,” Myers said. “In addition, her understanding of the essential role higher education has to our state’s economic vitality will strengthen our efforts to ensure Arizona’s Higher Education Enterprise is serving students, business and the state to its greatest capacity.”
The regents are expected to vote on Klein’s contract at their Dec. 6-7 meeting in Tucson.