photo by: Submitted

Jennifer Bonds-Raacke

A top Kansas academic administrator and former president of a private, Catholic university has been chosen as the next chief executive of the Kansas Board of Regents, which oversees KU and the state’s other public higher education institutions.

The Regents on Tuesday voted to name Jennifer Bonds-Raacke the next president and CEO of the Regents system. Bonds-Raacke currently serves as a senior staff member in the Regents’ Topeka office, working in the role of Vice President for Academic Affairs.

“The Regents are thrilled to appoint Dr. Bonds-Raacke as the next President and CEO of the Board,” Kansas Board of Regents Chair Alysia Johnston said in a statement. “She brings a wealth of experience to this role and a deep commitment to serving Kansans and our state’s colleges and universities. Her leadership skills, expertise and collaborative approach will help our public higher education system continue to flourish.”

In her new role, Bonds-Raacke will serve as the highest ranking administrator to the state-appointed Board of Regents, which is responsible for overseeing the chancellor of the University of Kansas, and the presidents of the other public universities and community colleges in the state.

“I am deeply honored by the Board’s confidence and the opportunity to serve Kansas in this role,” Bonds-Raacke said in a statement. “Our public higher education system is strengthened by 32 institutions with distinct missions and a shared commitment to students, communities, and the future of our state. I look forward to working closely with the Board, our institutional leaders, KBOR staff, policymakers and partners across Kansas to build on that strength. Relationships and listening will be central to my leadership, as will a clear focus on advancing the Board’s priorities and creating opportunities for Kansas students and communities to thrive.”

In her current role, Bonds-Raacke works with provosts of the public universities, community colleges and technical schools on all matters of issues involving academic operations.

Bonds-Raacke will begin as president and CEO of the Regents on Aug. 2. She replaces Blake Flanders, who retired last month after more than 10 years leading the Regents.

Bonds-Raacke has multiple Kansas higher education connections. She received her doctorate and M.S. graduate degree in experimental psychology from Kansas State University. She went on to serve as Dean of the Graduate School and Office of Scholarship and Sponsored Projects at Fort Hays State University.

“Kansas is more than where I work — it is home,” Bonds-Raacke said in a press release. “It is the opportunity of a lifetime to serve the state in which my career, education and family are rooted.”

Bonds-Raacke went on to hold high-ranking positions in a pair of out-of-state universities. In 2022 Bonds-Raacke was named the first female president of St. Martin’s University, a private Benedictine university in Lacey, Washington. Prior to that appointment, Bonds-Raacke served as provost and vice president for academic affairs of St. Norbert College in Wisconsin.

In a press release, the Regents highlighted Bonds-Raacke’s expertise in experiential student learning via the creation of both undergraduate research programs and study abroad programs during her tenure. The Regents also said Bonds-Raacke has demonstrated a strong commitment to making higher education more accessible to everyone, with particular emphasis on first-generation and non-traditional college students.

The Regents hired Bonds-Raacke after employing a national search firm to help find and screen candidates. John Yeary, general counsel for the Kansas Board of Regents has been serving as the interim president and CEO of the organization since Flanders’ retirement at the end of June.