CHADRON – Dr. Kimberly Paddock-O’Reilly has been named Chadron State College’s next Vice President for Academic Affairs, President Ron K. Patterson announced Wednesday. She will replace Dr. Jim Powell, who will retire June 30. Paddock-O’Reilly’s first day at CSC is July 1.

“We are excited to welcome Dr. Kimberly Paddock-O’Reilly to the Eagle family,” Patterson said. “I look forward to working closely with her to advance access and affordability for students, both inside and outside the classroom. Her scholarly record as an educator, researcher, and leader makes her an ideal person to drive our student-focused mission at Chadron State College.”

Paddock-O’Reilly brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise as Chadron State’s top academic officer. She has most recently worked as an executive coach at KPL Coaching, a firm she co-founded, but prior to her personal business, Paddock-O’Reilly served as an administrator for eight years at Logan University in Chesterfield, Missouri. At Logan University, she was the Vice President of Academic Affairs, the Executive Vice President of Academic Affairs and Professor, and finally Provost and Professor.

Paddock-O’Reilly said her coaching skills, combined with her professional experiences, including her service as a peer reviewer, put her in a position to positively impact CSC.

“I truly believe that having the experience of working with organizations outside of higher education allows for innovation and outside the box thinking within higher education,” she said. “Getting to see all the ways organizations have had success and continue to grow their success provides us with a framework and that is good information to have as we continuously improve our offerings to best serve our students.”

Paddock-O’Reilly has excelled with her professional leadership opportunities. She was the Dean of Online Education and the Associate Vice President for New Programs at Salem University from 2012-14, the Dean and Associate Professor for the College of Health Sciences, a Vice Dean and Associate Professor, and an Associate Dean at A.T. Still University. Paddock-O’Reilly was also responsible for training and hiring new faculty as the Associate Dean at ITT Technical Institute in Carmel, Indiana, and she was also the Academic Success Coordinator.

“I am a servant leader and one who wants to put the organization and the people first,” she said. “CSC is my priority, not myself. I want to be as inclusive and transparent as possible with how I make decisions, and I plan to be present and visible at college events and within the community. I will be connected to the students, the faculty and staff because I want to make their experiences better.”

Paddock-O’Reilly earned a Bachelor of Arts from Purdue University, a Master of Social Work from Indiana University School of Social Work, an MBA from the University of St. Francis in Joliet, Illinois, and a Master of Science degree in marriage and family studies from Lee University in Cleveland, Tennessee. Her Doctor of Health Education is from A.T. Still University.

Paddock-O’Reilly said she took the job at CSC because the opportunity will allow her to grow.

“There are so many things about Chadron State that align with what I’m already good at, but CSC is also a place where I feel like I’ll have a great opportunity to learn and grow as a leader and administrator,” she said. “From my short time on campus and within the community, I can tell the people are genuine and welcoming. CSC feels like a place where we can work together easily, and when we do that, we’ll have great outcomes. It is important to me that I keep growing and learning in my profession, and that will be easy to do with the atmosphere at CSC, as well as with the leadership of President Patterson.”

At CSC, Paddock-O’Reilly will supervise the college’s three academic schools, Institutional Effectiveness, the Office of Academic Success, Instructional Design, Internship and Career Services, the library and its various services to students, Upward Bound, and Project Strive/TRIO.