Once again I am writing to you to share re-organization news, this time in my own office. In May, Linda Ryan, executive assistant to the president and secretary of the University, will retire after 24 years of service. During her time with Drake, Linda has served four presidents and worked tirelessly as the liaison to the Board of Trustees. She has been instrumental in preserving the history of this University and planned countless high-profile events for our campus community. In addition, she served in many leadership roles outside of Drake, including as executive director of the National Association of Presidential Assistants in Higher Education and as a board member of the Executive Women’s International, Des Moines Chapter. Linda’s insights have been invaluable to me as I’ve transitioned into this role, and her deep well of knowledge about the institution will be hard to replace. I hope you will join me on May 4 for a reception to honor Linda—an invitation will go out to campus in the coming weeks.

 Linda’s departure presented the opportunity to rethink how the Office of the President is organized, and we are moving forward with restructuring. I’m pleased to announce that, effective today, Shannon Cofield will become chief of staff. In this role, Shannon will be responsible for direction and oversight for all activities and services provided by the Office of the President, and will serve as a primary point of engagement with many constituencies, including our Board of Trustees. She will also manage execution of Drake’s continuous improvement plan and oversee community engagement. Shannon’s relationships in Greater Des Moines, and strategic leadership and vision will be vital to the continued success of this office. We will hire an executive assistant to the chief of staff (using Linda’s vacated line) who will support Shannon in managing the implementation of the continuous improvement plan.

 Renee Sedlacek, currently interim director of community engagement and service-learning, will move under the Provost’s Office as director of community-engaged learning. This move aligns with our goal of integrating service-learning across the curriculum. Community engagement will remain under the Office of the President, and a search is underway to fill the vacant neighborhood and community relations manager position. It should be noted that all of the moves detailed herein will not result in any new costs.

 I am confident this reorganization will streamline operations and improve our ability to serve the campus and our many other constituencies. Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have questions.

 Best regards,

 Marty