Introducing Stu Halsall As Our New AVC, KMC, Wellness & Recreation

Dear DU community members, 

I am pleased to share that Stuart Halsall has accepted the role of associate vice chancellor, James C. Kennedy Mountain Campus, wellness and recreation. Stu will incorporate many aspects of his current role at the University of Denver to begin in this new role as of May 16. 

Since 1999, Stu has served the University of Denver in many roles in the Division of Athletics and Recreation (recently renamed Division of Athletics), including most recently as the associate vice chancellor, deputy athletic director, and chief operating officer since 2019. Previously, he served as associate vice chancellor of athletics and recreation, assistant vice chancellor of recreation and Ritchie Center operations and in several other leadership roles within the division. In this new role, Stu will continue to have leadership responsibility for recreational staff and programs and recreational facilities at both the Kennedy Mountain Campus and in Denver. 

Stu brings to this brand-new position an incredible depth of knowledge of DU, as well as first-hand experience helping our students build meaningful lives and purpose-driven careers through the DU 4D Experience, in which the Kennedy Mountain Campus plays a central role. As associate vice chancellor for the James C. Kennedy Mountain Campus, wellness and recreation, Stu will serve as an advisor to the chancellor and serve on the Chancellor’s Cabinet. He will provide vision, leadership, business development and financial management of the day-to-day operations at the Kennedy Mountain Campus, as well as lead wellness and recreation programming and facilities at both our urban campus and the Kennedy Mountain Campus. This dual role was carefully and intentionally built to knit together the mountain campus with the urban campus, further strengthening the holistic, 4D Experience we promise and which our students look for at the University of Denver. 

Collaboration and relationship building will be a central responsibility for Stu in this role, and he will work closely with partners across campus including the provost’s office, business and financial affairs, campus life, the 4D team, facilities, risk management and many others units and offices. As well, Stu will work closely with Government Relations and Community Affairs to build authentic partnerships with individuals and groups in the region around the Kennedy Mountain Campus, giving special attention, sensitivity and respect to relationships with Native American and Indigenous tribe members and leaders. 

We are incredibly excited to hire someone as experienced and familiar with the University of Denver for this role. In the coming months, Stu will help usher in an exciting and entirely new component of the DU 4D Experience as we ramp up programming at the James C. Kennedy Mountain Campus—connecting it to the robust and beloved recreation programming at the urban campus. I am confident, with thanks to his decades of leadership experience in sports and wellness administration, as well as program, resource and risk management, Stu will succeed in this role. 

Please join me in congratulating Stu on this new and exciting leg in his long and esteemed University of Denver career. 

And a sincere thank you to our search committee: 

Co-Chairs 

• Brandon Buzbee, senior associate vice chancellor of campaign & global networks 
• Sarah Pessin, Faculty Senate president 

Committee Members 

• Vivek Choudhury, dean of the Daniels College of Business 
• Rusty Dean, director of Facilities Management 
• Amanda Fudala, executive director of Conference & Events 
• Esteban Gomez, assistant professor of Museum & Heritage Studies 
• Jennifer Karas, vice provost of Academic Affairs 
• Abbie McAdams, DU freshman student 
• Stephanie O’Malley, associate vice chancellor for Government and Community Relations 
• Laura Perille, staff co-director of 4D Experience 
• Chris Roby, assistant vice chancellor of student Engagement and 4D Experience 
• Amanda Stewart, executive director of Development, 4D Experience, scholarships, and parent giving 
• Cristin Tarr, teaching assistant professor of marketing