SU’s Office of People and Culture VP moves to Valparaiso University
Mary Grace Almandrez, current Vice President of People and Culture at SU, was appointed as Senior Vice President and Chief of Staff of Valparaiso University, according to a VU release. She will assume the role on June 1. Leonardo Eriman | Daily Orange File Photo
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Mary Grace Almandrez, the current vice president of people and culture at Syracuse University, was appointed as senior vice president and chief of staff at Valparaiso University, according to a Tuesday press release.
Almandrez has been at SU for four years, serving as the inaugural vice president for diversity and inclusion before stepping into the inaugural role as VP of people and culture, according to her LinkedIn. She will assume her new role on June 1.
“During my time at Syracuse University I collaborated with Dr. Almandrez on numerous occasions, I repeatedly witnessed the positive and profound impact of her presence and contributions, and I am overjoyed that she has accepted our invitation to serve here at Valparaiso University,” Brian Konkol, former vice president and dean of SU’s Hendricks Chapel, wrote in a LinkedIn post Tuesday.
Konkol had worked in his position at Hendricks since 2017 before leaving in January to become president of Valparaiso University.
In this new role, Almandrez will serve as a senior advisor and operational partner to Konkol, helping advance institutional priorities to coordinate between “presidential vision” and university-wide implementation, the release stated.
Prior to her time at SU, Almandrez held senior leadership positions at Brown University for 14 years and the University of Rhode Island for three years. She helped expand student success efforts, strengthen community engagement and lead institutional initiatives, according to the release.
“In addition to being a proven outstanding professional, she is also a truly wonderful person, and she will bring the fullness of her mind, heart, spirit, and soul to help us all deepen our Lutheran roots and expand our public reach as we build lives for good,” Konkol wrote in the LinkedIn post.
