Flannery named interim president/CEO of the PSU Foundation, Inc.

  Thursday, February 5, 2015 2:00 AM
  News

Pittsburg, KS

Pittsburg State University Foundation Chairman Charlie Myers today announced the selection, by the Foundation’s Executive Board, of Kathleen Flannery as interim president/CEO of the PSU Foundation, Inc. The move comes following Friday’s announcement that Flannery had been appointed interim vice president for university advancement.

“Our board members have a great deal of respect for Kathleen,” said PSU Foundation Chairman Charlie Myers. “She’s proven herself to be a strong and successful leader. We look forward to continuing our work of supporting Pittsburg State in its mission to provide students with an affordable and quality education.”

Flannery, who previously served as executive director of university development, expressed excitement about what the future holds for the PSU Foundation and the university.

“I’m honored to have this opportunity,” said Flannery. “The progress Pittsburg State has experienced in recent years is, in no small part, due to the incredible support it receives from private donors and the stewardship provided by the PSU Foundation. I’m not certain there’s been a better time to be a Gorilla.”

The PSU Foundation consists of 46 Trustees, an executive board and 27 emeritus and honorary trustees. The foundation is focused on maximizing private support and properly managing its assets. In FY2015, Pittsburg State students received more than $3 million in private scholarship support through the PSU Foundation.

“I’m pleased that the Foundation Executive Board has chosen Kathleen for this important role,” said PSU President Steve Scott. “She has a wonderful track record of success during her long history with Pittsburg State. University Advancement will play a vital role in our continued success. I’m confident in her abilities to lead this division and help it become even stronger.”

Flannery has a long history with the university and the community. On campus, she served as interim director of international programs and services, interim assistant director for campus activities and assistant to the vice president for student affairs before being named director of annual giving in 2003 and then director of continuing and graduate studies in 2005.

In 2008, Flannery left PSU to take a position as executive director of the Mount Carmel Foundation until returning to PSU in 2011. She also served as interim vice president for mission integration with Via Christi Hospital in 2010.

Before coming to Southeast Kansas, Flannery served in a variety of educational leadership roles in New York and Massachusetts, including dean of students at Manhattanville College in Purchase, N.Y.; assistant dean for housing and residence life at Emerson College in Boston, Mass.; assistant dean of students at Trinity College, Washington, D.C.; and staff assistant for residence programs at MIT.

Flannery earned a bachelor’s degree in public management from the University of Maine and a master’s degree in higher education administration from Boston College.

In Southeast Kansas, Flannery has been active in a variety of community organizations, including Big Brothers/Big Sisters, the United Way, the Kansas Community Leadership Initiative, Pittsburg Kiwanis, Kansas Health Foundation, the Pittsburg Area Chamber of Commerce, Pittsburg Noon Rotary, Friends of the Pittsburg Public Library, St. Mary’s/Colgan School Advisory Council and the Catholic Charities Advisory Council.

She is married to Jeff Steinmiller, director of the Overman Student Center at PSU, and has two sons, Casey, a junior at PSU, and Kyle, a junior at St. Mary’s Colgan High School.