Legail P. Chandler, vice chancellor of human resources at Washington University in St. Louis, has announced that he will be retiring on June 30, said Shantay Bolton, vice chancellor of administration and chief administrative officer.

Providing a wide variety of programs and resources to help employees find their way around and thrive. Working closely with numerous WashU partners including psychiatry, public health, occupational medicine, marketing and communications, and emergency management, Chandler said that her and her team’s main priority was taking care of the people.

“I’ve always believed the importance of connecting with people, being approachable and being human,” said Chandler. “If you carry yourself with humanity, listen and work to build trust, it changes the way people think about you as a leader, your role and your workplace.”

Martin also pointed out Chandler’s role as executive sponsor in the implementation of Workday, the new HR and financial management system. He said Chandler’s continued leadership and extensive human resource information systems experience throughout the multi-year initiative helped ensure the successful July 1st launch of Workday.

“Rewarding” years at WashU

A university alumna, Chandler joined the School of Medicine as a human resources information systems consultant in 1999, where she helped implement PeopleSoft HR and payroll applications and analyze university-wide appointment and payroll practices.

In 2004 she was appointed Personnel Director of the Medical Faculty, where she developed and managed the human resources department for more than 9,000 academic and non-faculty employees and established guidelines for remuneration, recruitment, employee relations and leadership development.

In addition to building resources for the school-wide diversity and inclusion efforts and hiring two seasoned professionals to lead them, Chandler’s other accomplishments included developing in-house advisory services for organizational development, applied leadership and employee relationships, and introducing Smart Choices, a career development program Support of employees in setting and evaluating career goals.

Working with clinical directors, she also launched the medical school’s wellness initiative, which provides resources for smoking cessation, the hiking program, and numerous health and wellness events.

Most recently, in 2018, Chandler established the School of Medicine’s first state-sponsored medical assistant training program at a Missouri university. The university has just been named Apprentice Missouri 2021 Provider of the Year for its education, which includes tuition fees for those enrolled in the program.

“Legail has been an invaluable ally in shaping the high-performance culture of the School of Medicine,” said Richard Stanton, vice chancellor of medical finance and administration for the School of Medicine. “She was our HR Don Quixote, who never shied away from stepping in and rising as we sometimes did against windmills – and she often managed to bring her down, often by adhering to our stated institutional principles.

“Her career is shaped by her deep respect for managers and the management process; their high expectations of our managers; and their deep appreciation for the worth of each individual and for the employees as a group, ”said Stanton. “In my 50 years of leadership experience at the highest levels of government and in academic medicine, I have never had a better partner. I wish her nice paths, but she is sorely missed. “

Before joining the Human Resources Department at the medical school, she held several positions on the Washington University Medical Campus from 1983.

A native of Kentucky, she began her career in human resource management in 1977 after earning a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Western Kentucky University. She also earned a master’s degree in information management from the McKelvey School of Engineering at Washington University in 1998.

“It has been a privilege to serve this institution and learn from other people every day,” said Chandler, who immediately previously served as chairman of the Human Resources Institute at American Research Universities. “I enjoyed the variety of working in this interdisciplinary facility – seeing what different units are doing, encountering challenges that seemed practically unsolvable but eventually being able to solve them. My years at Washington University have been very rewarding.

“I am grateful for my time here and have full confidence in the excellent leadership team that we have at WashU and in human resources,” Chandler continued. “Chancellor Martin and Dr. Bolton have a vision that I know will continue to transform WashU and advance the university. “

In retirement, Chandler plans to spend more time fly fishing with her husband Larry, to travel with her tour group, and to visit her home state of Kentucky.

An executive search company conducts a national search to identify candidates to succeed Chandler. Parker Executive Search will work with an emerging college search committee. Campus listening sessions with university members take place in December.