Stacey Morgan Foster
Senior Consultant
Stacey.Foster@academicsearch.org
Ms. Stacey Morgan Foster’s substantial higher education connections, attention to transparency and ethics, and ability to engage campus stakeholders to create a compelling leadership agenda for the search process distinguish her as an invaluable senior consultant.
Ms. Foster joined Academic Search in 2018 and brought with her a breadth of experience at public and private universities, particularly in student affairs, enrollment management, community relations, auxiliary services, athletics, and compliance/legal affairs. As a Senior Consultant at Academic Search, she has managed myriad searches, including those for provosts, academic deans, diversity and inclusion officers, and student affairs/enrollment executives. Thirty-plus years in higher education leadership roles have provided her with an understanding of cabinet-level responsibilities/roles, board of trustees dynamics, entrepreneurial enterprises, community/development opportunities, and crises/communication management. Ms. Foster is passionate about helping students thrive and achieve their goals, investing in generational transformation and upward social mobility. She continues to mentor her former students and is generous with her volunteer work in coaching others regarding leadership development.
Ms. Foster began her career as a high school teacher (public and private), attending law school (George Mason University/Antonin Scalia Law School) at night while working and having a baby. Her specializations were in Land Practice and Admiralty Law. She was recruited for a position at the US Attorney’s Office in Washington, DC. In a serendipitous twist of fate, a number of positions in the federal government were eliminated, and she found herself drawn to a student affairs job at American University. From there, she moved through progressively responsible leadership positions as associate dean, associate VP/dean, and ultimately VP, successfully merging her legal training with her student development and teaching passion. She has extensive experience in the CSU system (San Jose State University and CSU Stanislaus) and in Washington state (Eastern Washington University).
Many of Ms. Foster’s searches are conducted by request from prior institutions, reflecting the trust and confidence these universities have in her judgment and management. Campus clients credit her with important attributes that they appreciate: attention to detail, excellent writing and listening skills, transparency and communication with the campus, and guidance regarding compliance and best practices.