Kristin Sobolik was appointed as the eighth chancellor of the University of Missouri–St. Louis in 2020 and leads the region’s premier public research university, which enrolls nearly 16,000 students, has 2,300 employees, and generates an economic impact of more than $430 million annually. Kristin joined the University of Missouri–St. Louis community in 2017 as provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs, quickly rising to the role of executive vice chancellor followed by her appointment as interim chancellor and now, chancellor. Prior to UMSL, she served as Dean of the College of Liberal Arts at Wright State University in Dayton, OH, and Associate Dean, Associate Director, Chair, and Professor of Anthropology and Climate Change at the University of Maine. She earned her Ph.D. in Anthropology from Texas A&M University and B.S. in Biology from the University of Iowa.

Throughout her time at the university, Kristin led the development and implementation of the university’s master plan and five-year strategic plan focused on inclusive prosperity, oversaw a successful 10-year renewal of accreditation from the Higher Learning Commission, introduced over a dozen new academic programs, increased private philanthropy by more than 20 percent, grown research expenditures by 57 percent, and increased U.S. News and World Report rankings as a National Tier One institution by 42 places.

Kristin serves on the Executive Committee of the Coalition of Urban and Metropolitan Universities and the Advisory Council for the Commissioner of the Missouri Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development, as well as numerous regional boards including Greater St. Louis, Inc., Cortex Innovation District, the Urban League of Metropolitan Saint Louis, Missouri Botanical Garden, and Greater St. Louis Council of the Boy Scouts of America. Her accomplishments on and off campus led the Girl Scouts of Western Ohio to award her with the Woman of Distinction Award in 2016, the St. Louis Business Journal to recognize her with a Most Influential Business Women Award in 2020, and the NAACP to present her with the Frankie Muse Freeman/Norman R. Seay Commitment to St. Louis Award in 2022.