Julie Payne-Kirchmeier elected NASPA board chair

Julie Payne-Kirchmeier, Northwestern’s interim vice president for Student Affairs, has been elected the next board chair-elect for NASPA, the association for student affairs administrators in higher education.

Payne-Kirchmeier will begin her term one-year term as NASPA’s chair-elect March 31. She will then become the board chair in March 2021. 

“I am both honored and humbled to be elected into the leadership of NASPA,” she said. “I look forward to working with the members of this exceptional and visionary association in this role as we address the important and critical issues facing the Student Affairs profession, higher education and most importantly — the students we serve every day.”

NASPA is a leading association in higher education, a member-centered organization that supports a global network of 15,000 professionals across 1,200 institutions. The association is guided by the principles of integrity, innovation, inclusion and inquiry. 

Payne-Kirchmeier has served as Northwestern’s interim vice president for Student Affairs since last summer, succeeding Patricia Telles-Irvin, who passed away in June.

Since joining Northwestern in 2012, Payne-Kirchmeier has served a number of roles within Student Affairs. She began her Northwestern tenure as assistant vice president for student auxiliary services, was promoted to associate vice president and chief of staff in 2016 and became interim vice president last June.

Before coming to Northwestern, she worked in student-facing roles at Southern Illinois University and the University of Southern Indiana. 

From 2017-2019, Payne-Kirchmeier served as the NASPA Region IV-W director and on the NASPA Board of Directors.

NASPA President Kevin Kruger said he is thrilled with Payne-Kirchmeier’s election as chair of the board.

“Julie has previously served on the NASPA Board of Directors and established herself as someone with a keen understanding of the opportunities and challenges facing higher education in the next decade,” Kruger said. “These perspectives will be critical for NASPA’s future. We look forward to Julie’s leadership on the NASPA Board and to her serving as the chair of the NASPA Board of Directors.”