Jodi Gentry named vice president for Human Resources

jodiFollowing a national search, Jodi Gentry was recently selected as the vice president for Human Resources, effective June 1.  She succeeds Paula Varnes Fussell, who retired from the University of Florida on May 31.

With more than 20 years of human resources experience in higher education, Gentry had previously served as assistant vice president for Human Resource Services since 2013.  In this role, she regularly led change management engagement efforts for high-level institutional initiatives and established a track record of successful change implementation.  She has also had extensive experience with strategic program development and assessment. In addition to her role as assistant vice president, she also served as the director for strategic initiatives for the Office of the Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer.

Gentry brings a demonstrated history of supporting performance, accountability and achievement at the university to her new role, having recommended, developed and implemented organizational development activities for vice presidential areas, colleges, departments and divisions over the course of her career at UF. As the former director of UF Training and Organizational Development, she also founded and served as director of the university’s Advanced Leadership for Academics and Professionals program. She has regularly served as an executive and managerial coach for leaders on campus.

Gentry holds a Master of Arts in Mass Communication with a specialization in public relations from the University of Florida and a bachelor’s degree in English from Berea College in Kentucky. She also is a Society of Human Resource Management Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP).