Zora Mulligan to be Executive Vice President; Brad Bodenhausen will be the Vice President of Community and Global Partnerships.
Missouri State University recently hired two new leaders. Zora Mulligan will begin as executive vice president on July 5. Brad Bodenhausen will begin July 1 as Vice President of Community and Global Partnerships.
“I’m very excited to have these two additional members on our leadership team,” said Missouri State President Cliff Smart. “I chose Zora because of her leadership abilities, creativity and vast experience in higher education. We are very fortunate that Zora has accepted the position, and I look forward to working with her.
“Brad is deeply involved in the Springfield community and has helped drive many new international connections. He will help the university develop more local and international partnerships.”
Mulligan is the first person to serve as executive vice president
The position of Executive Vice President is new to the University. Mulligan will serve as the second command for Smart. She will oversee several administrative areas and lead efforts to redesign the university to meet modern educational needs.
The Missouri State Board of Governors asked the leadership team to have someone who could run the university in Smart’s absence. The board and smart points to Mulligan’s experience, including her successful tenure as Missouri’s higher education commissioner, in support of her ability to lead the state of Missouri.
“We asked President Smart to develop a position that is clearly second to none and hire someone who can run the university,” said board chairman Carol Silvey. “We also asked him to appoint someone who would be a strong candidate for president when he retires.
“Zora’s reputation and achievements clearly demonstrate that she fulfills these requests.”
Board member Anson Elliott said Mulligan is a consensus builder.
“Zora has a unique ability to mediate through conflicts and find creative solutions to problems,” Elliott said. “As Commissioner of Higher Education, he negotiated an agreement that allows the state of Missouri to more easily offer new professional doctoral programs.”
Board member J Vasan points to his achievements as commissioner of higher education.
“Jora is highly respected by legislators and policy makers in the state and across the country,” Vasan said. “She is also a good steward of the state’s resources. He proposed consolidating Missouri’s higher education department with the workforce development department. This benefits Missourians and saves the state money.”
Smart outlined the reasons for choosing Mulligan in his May 24 Cliffs Notes.
about mulligan
Mulligan is the commissioner of higher education for the state of Missouri, a position he has held since 2016. He served as chief of staff for the University of Missouri from 2014 to 2016.
Prior to that she was executive director of the Missouri Community College Association from 2010 to 2014. He also served as Assistant Commissioner, General Counsel, and Legislative Liaison for the State of Missouri from 2007 to 2010.
Mulligan earned a bachelor’s degree in political science and psychology from Drury University and a master’s in education and law degree from the University of Kansas.
Bodenhausen will replace Jim Baker
Bodenhausen will succeed Dr. Jim Baker as Vice President of Community and Global Partnerships when he retires on June 30.
Bodenhausen is currently the Associate Vice President of International Education and Training. He has served in that position since 2017. Prior to that he served as director of the Missouri State’s Center for International Leadership and Training since July 2014.
Prior to working at Missouri State, Bodenhausen was executive vice president of the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce, where he worked for 21 years.
Bodenhausen has a bachelor’s degree in mass communications from the University of Central Missouri and a master’s degree in international affairs and administration from the state of Missouri.
