Pittsburgh Review

Carnegie Mellon University has announced that Kelli Shuman has been named associate vice president and chief human resources officer following a national search. Shuman previously served as associate vice president for human resources and chief human resources officer at Elon University since 2019.

With nearly two decades of experience in higher education human resources, Shuman was a member of the president’s senior staff at Elon. She oversaw employee benefits, employee relations, talent acquisition, employee development and training, employee recognition programs, faculty and staff wellness programs, performance appraisal processes, and supported diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts.

Nationally active in the College and University Professional Association for Human Resources (CUPA-HR), Shuman currently serves as treasurer and executive committee member of the national CUPA-HR Board of Directors. She is also an at-large member of the board of the Society of Higher Education Human Resources Executives.

Mary Jo Dively, CMU’s vice president and general counsel, stated: “I am delighted to welcome Kelli to CMU, and look forward to her leadership of our superb HR team. Everyone who met with Kelli throughout the interview process was impressed with her warmth, her experience and as importantly, her service-oriented attitude and approach.”

At Elon University, Shuman contributed significantly to the university’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic by developing temporary policies to support employees. Her team focused on improving technology utilization and data-informed decision-making within HR processes.

Shuman expressed enthusiasm about joining Carnegie Mellon: “I am thrilled and honored to join Carnegie Mellon University and its dedicated HR team as the next chief human resources officer,” she said. “During the interview process, it was clear that CMU's employees are passionate about their work and deeply believe in the university's vision, mission and values.”

Before her tenure at Elon University, Shuman served as vice president for human resources at the South Dakota School of Mines & Technology in Rapid City. In addition to her responsibilities there, she held the role of Title IX coordinator where she led outreach initiatives on sexual assault response.

Shuman holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Black Hills State University and a master’s degree from the University of South Dakota. She is also a graduate of Harvard Graduate School of Education’s Institute for Educational Management.