The President’s Office is pleased to announce that Elise Alford has been named interim special assistant to the chief of staff, effective Aug. 9, 2020.
Alford will provide support and consultation to president’s office projects and initiatives for the chief of staff and vice president for compliance, legal and audit, and the associate vice president for creative strategy. She is a current member of the reintegration committee responsible for facilitating a successful return to campus, and most recently served as senior associate director for the Boise State student union.
Alford brings 12-plus years of professional higher education experience to the role, including a decade of service to Boise State during which she has provided leadership and development for programs, people and budgets. Her career spans multiple institutions and segments of the field, with programmatic oversight for student unions, event services, university art galleries and collections, residence life, orientation and family outreach. She has served in numerous volunteer leadership roles with the Association of College Unions International, including regional director.
She is known on campus for her characteristic resourcefulness and ability to foster cross-divisional, cross-disciplinary partnerships and initiatives with an intention and focus on relationships, policies and processes. Among her many achievements at Boise State, Alford led university event services to centralize campus event space and services, established the Bronco Parent and Family Association – now managed by New Student Programs – and contributed to numerous policy initiatives surrounding use of university space and student fees.
Alford is an alumna of Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, where she earned a Master of Science in Education with an emphasis on higher education and social policy, and of Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, where she studied organizational development and English.
Outside of her work with Boise State, Alford is an active supporter of the local arts community and enjoys exploring the Northwest by foot and kayak.