VPSA LISTENS:

VPSA Flaherty will join President Gatrell for his Community Office Hours on October 23, from 12:00-12:45 in the Food Court

Dr. Anne Flaherty comes to EIU from Washington University (WashU) in St. Louis, where she served as senior consultant for the Division of Student Affairs. In that role, she provided direct support and project management to the division, assisting under-resourced and first-generation students, coordination of emergency protocols, and overseeing the emergency student funds processes. Before her senior consultant role, Flaherty served as WashU’s Interim Associate Vice Chancellor for Student Support, where she oversaw student support functions intended to provide a holistic approach to student well-being—including student-based physical health and promotion, mental health and wellness, and medical and pharmacy services as a direct report to the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs and member of the senior leadership team. At WashU, Flaherty also served as Interim Assistant Dean of Students and Director, where she offered consultation and follow-up services for relevant parties and high-risk students. 

Before her time at WashU, Flaherty also held roles as Dean of Student Life in the Division of Student Affairs and Interim Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean at Butler University in Indianapolis. She also served as Assistant Dean for Medical Student Affairs at Indiana University School of Medicine and has held a variety of Student Affairs and instructional positions throughout her career, including at the University of Kansas and Park (College) University in Missouri. 

As an executive leader, Flaherty has been responsible for institutional decision-making and strategic planning initiatives related to budget, campus climate, student life, risk management, safety, enrollment and retention, and campus programs and services. She has also been heavily involved with NASPA, an organization comprising high-performing Student Affairs administrators that drive innovation and evidence-based, student-centered practice throughout higher education both nationally and globally.

Throughout her career, Flaherty’s focus has been creating and sustaining student-centered, inclusive communities through strategic, collaborative partnerships with faculty members and academic affairs professionals that reinforce opportunities for student success. As a Student Affairs leader, she has intimate knowledge of Title IX compliance issues, a strong understanding of student conduct and community standards, and a commitment to fulfilling federal and state obligations for protecting student privacy and confidentiality rights. As a long-serving Student Affairs professional, Flaherty has dedicated her time to countless programs and services intended to serve and empower students to thrive in a supportive higher education environment. 

Flaherty and her husband have three sons, two who are in college and one who is a first-year college student.  A lifelong Midwesterner raised in southeast Iowa, she is proud to be an active member of the various communities she has resided in.