Elmhurst College announced today that Susan Craig will join the College later this month as its executive director for human resources.

Craig has served in HR leadership positions in both the public and private sectors, including for many years in higher education. She currently is the human resources director at StudioNorth, a marketing and advertising agency in North Chicago.

She was drawn to the job at Elmhurst in part because of the opportunity to return to higher education. “I’m a first-generation college student, so I know the power of getting a degree, the power of education,” she said. “I like that I’m helping students to get their degree by doing my part to create an engaged environment for employees, one in which people really care about what they do and where they are.”

She will start at Elmhurst on Monday, Aug. 26.

“Susan has a breadth and variety of HR experiences in both higher education and the corporate sector that will position her well for success,” said Cindy Gonya, vice president for business and finance at the College. “She is a high-energy person with a can-do attitude. Her passion about higher education clearly resonated with the campus, and I am so pleased that she is joining our team.”

“Susan believes strongly in Elmhurst College’s mission,” said President Troy VanAken, “and I’m sure our entire campus community will benefit from her experience and enthusiasm.”

Craig has more than 15 years of human resources leadership in higher education, including at The Chicago School of Professional Psychology, Kaplan University in Chicago, National University of Health Sciences in Lombard, and National-Louis University in Evanston. She has a master’s degree in Human Resources Management and Development and PHR (Professional in Human Resources) certification through the Society for Human Resources.