Dear Colleagues,
I am pleased to announce that Deb Stone will serve as Interim Senior Associate Chancellor for Human Resources as we conduct a national search for a permanent candidate to replace Elyne Cole who will be retiring at the end of this month.
Deb’s appointment will begin on July 1, 2021, pending approval by the Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Deb brings more than 20 years of experience in university human resources and a familiarity with our operations, policies and practices at every level of the institution. In her most recent role as the Executive Director of Human Resources Administration, Deb’s leadership has been instrumental in our efforts to navigate the unprecedented challenges the COVID-19 pandemic has brought us. Deb’s professional skills and her collaborative and team-oriented approach to human resources administration made her the clear choice to lead us during this transition into the next phase of our pandemic operations.
I also want to take this opportunity to thank Elyne Cole, our Senior Associate Chancellor for Human Resources for more than four decades of service to Illinois. Elyne’s tenure has been notable due to her integrity, leadership and professional expertise, combined with her commitment to finding new and better ways to make an Illinois career path a desirable and rewarding choice for thousands of faculty and staff members. I hope you will reach out to Elyne to offer your own words of appreciation to her in the coming days.
And please join me in thanking Deb Stone for her willingness to take on this new role at this critical time for our university.
Sincerely,
Robert J. Jones
Chancellor
