Sheraine Gilliam
Vice President & Chief Human Resources Officer Stevens Institute of Technology
Dr. Sheraine Gilliam serves as the Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer at Stevens Institute of Technology. She is a human resources leader with over 20 years of service in higher education and private industry. In her most recent role prior to joining Stevens, Dr. Gilliam served as Vice-Chancellor and Chief Human Resources Officer for the University of North Texas System (UNTS), where she oversaw human resources for more than 14,000 faculty and staff, managed an $8-million operating budget and led a team of nearly 70. In this role, Dr. Gilliam implemented workforce strategies to help leaders make data-driven decisions and collaborated with university leaders to launch a professional development and mentoring program to assist employees in achieving their career goals. Dr. Gilliam also obtained 2021 and 2022 designations for “Texas Mother-Friendly Worksite” and “Best Place for Working Parents” for UNTS through the Dallas Regional Chamber.
Prior to UNTS, Dr. Gilliam served as Executive Director and Chief Human Resources Officer at Austin Peay State University. She launched LEARN.GROW.LEAD, a hybrid modality professional development program. She also developed the Trailing Spouses Initiative, which converted several full-time vacancies into part-time roles to offer flexible opportunities to military families. Prior to this role, Dr. Gilliam was the University Director of Human Resources Systems and Operations for the City University of New York, where she spearheaded the standardization of the onboarding experience across the system’s 25 campuses. Previously, she led human resources and business operations at multimedia companies such as Radio One Inc., Time Warner Cable and Inner-City Broadcasting Group.
Dr. Gilliam is engaged in leadership positions in national professional organizations. She serves as a member of the TIAA Advisory Council. She has served as an at-large member of the National Board of Directors of the College and University Professional Association for Human Resources (CUPA-HR), among others. She speaks on topics such as building a values-based culture, embodying executive presence, inclusive workforce strategies, employer branding and compassionate leadership. She is certified as a Professional in Human Resources (PHR) and a Built on Values® Coach. She holds a Doctorate in Business Administration in Strategic Leadership from Liberty University, an MBA from the University of Phoenix, and a Bachelor of Business degree from Hofstra University.
Seminars
- Responding to a 40% revenue loss, two rounds of RIFs, and mounting regulatory volatility, HR at Stevens Institute of Technology is under pressure to maintain service levels, support campus needs, and protect employee experience with significantly reduced bandwidth
- Introducing lightweight AI tools to automate time-intensive content creation and daily communication, converting training materials into ready-to-deploy videos in under two minutes (vs. multi day production) and equipping the team to respond faster, write more effectively, and redirect time toward higher value strategic work
- Building a measurement framework to quantify efficiency gains, targeting a 90-95% reduction in training development hours, increased throughput on required learning, and clearer capacity benchmarks that define how HR can operate as a more agile, future-ready function amid ongoing disruption
- How can HR leaders in higher education introduce AI in ways that reduce fear and skepticism among faculty and staff while strengthening confidence in decision‑making?
- Which HR and talent processes in universities are best suited for AI enablement first, and where should human judgment remain clearly in control?
- How is AI reshaping skill expectations for faculty, staff, and administrators, and what risks emerge if institutions adopt tools faster than they redesign roles and capabilities
- How can institutions measure AI impact in higher education beyond efficiency, including quality, consistency, service experience, and trust?
