Beth Fox appointed to inaugural chief of staff post at Alfred University

In her role, Fox will serve as an advisor and key member of the University’s management team, responsible for coordinating the daily operation of President Mark Zupan’s office and strengthening the link between the president, the Board of Trustees, and other external constituents. She will work on the president’s behalf to increase Alfred University’s fundraising and friend-raising success, enhance the visibility and impact of the University’s brand, and plan and implement strategic initiatives in close collaboration with fellow members of the Cabinet and in support of our University’s mission.

Fox comes to Alfred University from Cornell University, where she has served since 2015. In addition to her current role as director of postdoctoral and student programs for the Cornell Atkinson Center for Sustainability, Fox previously served as assistant dean of academic and faculty affairs at the Cornell SC Johnson College of Business and as senior administrator for the Office of the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences.

As assistant dean at Cornell SC Johnson College of Business, she was instrumental in shepherding the first AACSB accreditation for the newly formed college that aligned three previously separate business-focused entities on that campus: the Nolan School of Hotel Management, the SC Johnson Graduate School of Management, and the Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management in the statutory College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.

Prior to Cornell, Fox held a variety of significant administrative positions focused on student advising at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, Stanford University, and the University of Colorado-Boulder.  She also served as a lecturer and research associate at Princeton University.

“I am delighted to be invited to join the leadership team at Alfred University, an institution whose values, ambition, and sense of community align with my own,” Fox said. “I look forward to working alongside president Zupan, the Board of Trustees, and the president’s Cabinet to advance Alfred University’s exciting path of innovation and growth, which helps every student to realize their purpose.”

Fox earned a bachelor’s degree in anthropology from Columbia University, a master’s in education from Lesley University, and a doctoral degree in biological anthropology and anatomy from Duke University.

Zupan expressed his appreciation to those involved in the search for the position, which drew an extremely deep and competitive field of candidates.

Those who assisted in the search included the members of the Executive Council; Robin Mazejka, associate vice president for Philanthropic Relations, University Advancement; and Lisa Sexsmith, administrative assistant to the President. Trustees who provided guidance included Carolyn Clark ’90 (Board chair), Steve Heine ’81 (Board vice chair), Tom Hinman ’79 (chair of our Board’s Strategic Planning Committee), and Patty St. George ’89 (vice chair of our Board’s Strategic Planning Committee).

Zupan noted that Hinman deserves special thanks for his advocacy over the past eight years to establish a chief of staff position, based on the impact that he experienced from doing so during his own professional career, as well as for making a generous philanthropic commitment to help bring the position to life at Alfred University.