Two members of President Sian Leah Beilock’s senior leadership team have taken on additional responsibilities: Josh Keniston, senior vice president of capital planning and campus operations, now oversees the Office of Human Resources and the Department of Safety and Security, and Senior Vice President for Communications Justin Anderson has taken on the leadership of the Office of Government Relations.
Keniston’s new title is senior vice president for operations. Anderson’s title is now senior vice president for communications and government relations.
“These changes make good sense from an organizational standpoint and are intended to streamline some of the critical functions Dartmouth already performs around employment, campus safety, and external communications,” says President Sian Leah Beilock. “I’m grateful to Josh and Justin for taking on these critical responsibilities, and to the staff of Human Resources, Safety and Security, and Government Relations for their continuing commitment to Dartmouth’s mission and to serving the interests of our student, staff, and faculty.”
The changes to Dartmouth’s administrative reporting structure took effect Dec. 1.
“HR and Safety and Security are natural partners in the work I am doing to support key institutional initiatives, including the Dartmouth Climate Collaborative, our commitment to expanding housing options for all of our populations, and the work we’re doing to support childcare for our community,” says Keniston, who also manages Campus Services, including Environmental Health and Safety, Facilities Operations and Management, the Real Estate Office, and business and hospitality services.
Under the new structure, Sara Lester, the chief human resources officer, and Keiselim Montás, director of safety and security and emergency operations, now report to Keniston and are part of his leadership team.
“Both departments have talented and dedicated individuals working to support our campus. I’m excited to work with their teams to ensure that all of our strategic operational efforts are aligned with the goals and mission of Dartmouth,” Keniston says.
Of bringing government relations under the umbrella of the Office of Communications, Anderson says the new structure makes sense for Dartmouth.
“Ensuring alignment between communications and government relations is essential to telling a consistent story of the distinctive way Dartmouth prepares future leaders and brings innovation and impact to the world,” says Anderson, who also oversees Dartmouth’s media relations and marketing, editorial and web services, media production, and social media, and works closely with the graduate and professional schools and communicators across campus.
“There is great opportunity for Dartmouth to extend its engagement with federal, tribal, state, and local governments to advance our interests and strategic objectives by cultivating mutually beneficial relationships with these important groups,” he says.
Having a government relations team working hand-in-hand with communications will also help ensure that the Dartmouth community stays informed of policy changes that affect the institution.
Anderson says the talent on the government relations team—including Emily Burlij, director of federal relations, and Heather Drinan, director of state government relations and community outreach—is already benefiting Dartmouth’s communications efforts.
“Emily and Heather are making our team even stronger by expanding our areas of expertise so that we can better serve the Dartmouth community,” Anderson says. “They are great additions to an already robust team.”