»Genia Herndon, Ed.D. - Senior Vice President for Student Affairs

Genia Herndon, Ed.D., joined Chapman as Senior Vice President for Student Affairs in July 2026. In this role, Genia serves as a member of the university’s senior leadership team and advances the university’s broader mission and strategic goals pertaining to the student experience. She oversees a broad portfolio of units comprised of nearly 80 full-time professionals, including the Vice President and Dean of Students and the Vice President of First-Generation and Promising Futures Programs.

An experienced senior higher education leader, Genia joined Chapman from the University of Colorado Denver (CU Denver), where she served for almost two decades in progressively senior roles with responsibilities spanning the entire student lifecycle, from recruitment and campus life to career readiness and post-graduation success. She spearheaded numerous strategic, student-centered programs and initiatives focused on student wellness, living-learning communities, student success, career development and experiential learning, and academic pathways. Her career at CU Denver culminated in her position as Associate Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs, the campus’s senior-most student affairs leader.

An engaged community and industry leader, Genia also brings experience in public policy, alumni relations, and enrollment management. She began her career with Aramark, where she advanced quickly through roles of increasing responsibility within its Sports and Entertainment Division, managing strategic partnerships for prominent sports and entertainment venues. She later transitioned to the nonprofit sector as a development officer focused on corporate and donor relations before beginning her career in higher education. Genia earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and her master’s and doctoral degrees from CU Denver.