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PLU welcomes new Chief Operating Officer and VP Shalita Myrick to campus
PLU welcomes new Chief Operating Officer and VP Shalita Myrick to campus
Image: Shalita Myrick is PLU’s new chief operating officer and vice president for administrative services (photo by Sy Bean/PLU).
By Zach Powers
PLU Marketing & Communications
Shalita Myrick, Pacific Lutheran University’s new chief operating officer and vice president for administrative services, has one major takeaway after completing her first week on the job. “This is the most open and welcoming community I've ever been a part of,” she says.
Throughout the extensive interview process and her first few days on campus, Myrick, an experienced business operations leader who has spent much of her career in the healthcare sector, has felt a palpable connection with the mission and people she’s been introduced to at PLU.
“This is the first time I have really encountered an organization where I felt called to the work and the place,” Myrick says. “Not only is our campus beautiful, but I think that the minds that fuel it are as well, and I’m excited to see what we can accomplish together.”
Myrick comes to PLU from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center where she served as the principal project manager. She previously held leadership roles at Texas Children’s Hospital, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Kaiser Permanente, and AT&T.
Myrick has impressed her new colleagues with her business acumen and interpersonal approach to management.
“Shalita’s deep leadership and facilities experience, as well as her astute understanding of how to cultivate high-performing teams, are going to be tremendously helpful here at PLU,” says PLU President Allan Belton.
At PLU, Myrick will lead the Division of Administrative Services, which includes the business office, human resources, risk management, and facilities. She will also play a critical role in the continued development of the Partnership for Health Innovation and serve as an essential collaborator on the president’s and executive councils.
Myrick holds a master’s degree in facilities management from The University of Texas at San Antonio and a bachelor’s degree in political science from Spelman College. She is also a graduate of the Los Angeles African American Women’s Public Policy Institute and serves the International Facilities Management Association’s Academic Facilities Council as the chair for young professionals.
Myrick succeeds Kate Boyle, who served as PLU’s Interim COO after the retirement of Teri Phillips.