MSSU names Michelle Wood interim vice president for university advancement

(From Missouri Southern State University)

Beginning July 1, Michelle Wood will serve as the Missouri Southern State University (MSSU) interim vice president for University Advancement and executive director of the Missouri Southern Foundation. A 1992 Missouri Southern graduate, Wood returned to MSSU in 2017 as director of Major Gifts and later director of Planned Gifts. She played an important role in the early success of the Lions Forward Campaign.

Wood transitioned to Cottey College in 2023 to become vice president of Institutional Advancement, where she restructured the advancement team, led a successful fundraising effort to renovate campus facilities, and helped shift the institutional culture toward a more results-driven philanthropic approach.

Her distinguished career has included roles as director of Talent Acquisition at Leggett & Platt, Inc., executive director of a non-profit focused on child abuse prevention, intervention, and treatment services in nine Missouri counties, and as a teacher in the Lamar R-I School District. 

Included in her extensive history of volunteer and community service is her 2020 appointment by Missouri Governor Mike Parson to serve on the Missouri Children’s Trust Fund Board of Directors.
“Michelle is a highly effective and relational advancement professional and has the experience and qualities to lead our University Advancement team, and to continue the success of the Lions Forward Campaign,” said Dr. Dean Van Galen, MSSU president.

“Michelle is a high-caliber professional with the talents and vision to lead the Foundation and advance the university,” said Deron Burr, president of the Missouri Southern Foundation Board. “We are elated to have someone with her background to fulfill this vital role.”

Wood will serve as a member of MSSU’s President’s Cabinet. In addition to her responsibilities in University Advancement and with the Missouri Southern Foundation, she will also direct the university’s governmental and community relations efforts.