Jennifer Almquist Named President’s Chief of Staff
August 12, 2025
Dear Stony Brook Campus Community,
Following a comprehensive national search, I am pleased to announce the appointment of Jennifer Almquist, PhD, as my chief of staff effective August 18, 2025. Having served as the chief of staff to five presidents across two universities, Jennifer brings to this role over two decades of experience in higher education. She is an exceptionally talented and visionary leader with an outstanding track record in strategic planning and execution, stakeholder engagement, governance and university operations. This background and experience, coupled with her collaborative team spirit, make her an invaluable partner in our work to realize Stony Brook's bold vision for the future.
In her new role as a key member of my leadership team, Jennifer will be instrumental in crafting and carrying out presidential priorities, overseeing complex, high-priority projects and serving as a key partner in working with internal and external stakeholders, including all members of our Stony Brook community, the State University of New York (SUNY) system, local, state and federal government officials and various advocacy organizations.
Jennifer joins Stony Brook from the University of Northern Colorado (UNC), where she has served as chief of staff to the president and liaison to the board of trustees. In this role, she provided executive leadership across a broad portfolio including strategic planning, communications, board governance, state and federal government relations, university events and cross-institutional initiatives. During her tenure at UNC, Jennifer led the implementation of the university’s 10-year strategic plan, a comprehensive effort involving the engagement of a wide range of internal and external stakeholders and the design of metrics to monitor progress. She also played a pivotal role in the establishment of a new osteopathic medical college, helping to secure over $200 million in public and private funding and managing project team alignment and stakeholder engagement.
Prior to her current role, Jennifer held administrative positions at Stanford University and the University of Michigan. She also served as the chief of staff to the president at Oregon State University where she earned her bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees. Her PhD in applied anthropology, with a research focus on academic organizations, underpins her deep understanding of higher education institutions and their current challenges.
I would like to thank Braden Hosch, who in addition to his role as vice president for educational and institutional effectiveness, has also served as the interim chief of staff since February 2025. Braden’s steady leadership, wise counsel and exceptional dedication during this transitional time has had a profound impact on our campus and has been immensely helpful to me as I prepared to take on the Stony Brook presidency. I am especially grateful for his leadership in chairing the national search for my chief of staff, and for the work of the entire search committee in their efforts that brought Jennifer to Stony Brook.
From my very first interaction with Jennifer, I knew that she would bring exceptional talent, experience and leadership to help us realize Stony Brook’s bold aspirations. She will be a trusted collaborator to all of us as we work together to take Stony Brook to new heights of excellence and impact across all dimensions of education, research, healthcare and service. Please join me in extending a warm Seawolf welcome to Jennifer as a new member of our special community.
Sincerely,
Andrea Goldsmith
President