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Dr. Hairston

Elaine H. Hairston, senior consultant, joined Academic Search after completing eight years of leadership as chancellor of the Ohio Board of Regents.

Dr. Hairston has focused on public state assisted universities and systems in her search work. Her recent searches for president have included The University of Utah, The University of Toledo, Shawnee State University, Western Oregon University, and the State University of New York-Farmingdale. Dr. Hairston’s over 30 years of system and senior university leadership experience provides broad and deep knowledge of outstanding presidential prospects.

As chancellor of the Ohio Board of Regents, she was responsible for the planning, budgeting, and coordination of Ohio’s 65 public college and university campuses, with a combined enrollment of 400,000 and an annual operating budget in excess of $2 billion.

Prior to her chancellorship, Dr. Hairston was the Ohio Board’s vice chancellor for academic affairs and chief architect of its Selective Excellence Program, a $60 million state strategy designed to improve quality on the state’s campuses. In 2000, she was Distinguished Visiting Scholar at The Ohio State University.

Dr. Hairston’s extensive work in the sensitive areas of changing political and operational environments for campuses brings an added dimension of resource to boards in the search process. As a former president of the State Higher Education Executive Officers Organization, she testified before the U.S. Senate committees considering reauthorization of the Higher Education Act. She has most recently served as a policy consultant to the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education and as a consultant to The Pew Charitable Trust.

Dr. Hairston just completed a two year service as Chair of the Alumni Advisory Council of The Ohio State University. She is Vice President of The Ohio Historical Society and a former Director of The Huntington National Bank. She is a holder of numerous honorary degrees and earned a baccalaureate degree in English and a master’s and Ph.D. in communication, all from The Ohio State University. Dr. Hairston was honored by The Ohio State University with its Distinguished Service Award in 2004. She is a member of Phi Beta Kappa.