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SLU Doisy College of Health Sciences Announces Chief of Staff

The Saint Louis University (SLU) Doisy College of Health Sciences (DCHS) recently announced Yoanna Sayili, JD, LL.M., M.Sc., as its first chief of staff. Sayili comes to the position after serving as the Assistant Director of Operations at the Indiana University – Bloomington Environmental Resilience Institute. 

Yoanna Sayili Headshot
SLU Doisy College of Health Sciences recently announced Dr. Yoanna Sayili as its new Chief of Staff.

In the newly created chief of staff position, Sayili will be responsible for central coordination of DCHS activities and serve as an administrative partner to the dean in promoting and supporting his vision and the mission of the university and providing high-level support to the dean in leading his executive leadership team. Sayili was excited to take on the new role and begin a new chapter of her career at SLU. 

“I am honored and excited that I was chosen as the DCHS inaugural chief of staff. Being named the first chief of staff of DCHS may sound like a big challenge, but I am up for it as I have no doubt that I will be instrumental in helping DCHS become an even better place to work and study as Dean Rousseau envisions,” Sayili said. “I had a chance to discuss with Dean Rousseau his priorities and some of the major initiatives that the chief of staff will support, and I am excited to come on board and bring these ideas to fruition.” 

Sayili went on to explain how she believes her previous experience will prepare her well for succeeding as the new DCHS chief of staff. 

“I have extensive experience with strategic planning and managing change processes. In addition, I have worked at several higher education institutions in various administrative and leadership capacities. As a result, I am resourceful, adaptable, experienced in working with diverse stakeholders and bringing multiple initiatives to fruition,” Sayili said. “As a member of the leadership team, I am used to recognizing the complex and multifaceted nature of issues and bringing multiple significant considerations to the attention of the decision-makers.” 

DCHS Dean Bernard Rousseau, Ph.D., MMHC, CCC-SLP, ASHA Fellow, looks forward to working with Chief of Staff Sayili on advancing the university’s strategic goals and the dean’s priorities for the Doisy College of Health Sciences. 

“In a highly competitive national search, Chief of Staff Sayili really stood out among a deep applicant pool. Sayili is a proven higher education leader with expertise in operations, strategic planning, communications and outreach, data management, collaboration, and leading change processes. In her prior role at Indiana University – Bloomington as Assistant Director of Operations, Sayili served as an integral member of the executive leadership team and played a central role in the management of day-to-day activities at the Environmental Resilience Institute (ERI).  She is skilled in long-range strategic planning and in the collection and analysis of data to support complex strategic decisions. As Assistant Director of Operations, Sayili supported Institute leadership with the implementation of operational policies, project planning, space management, leadership of administrative support staff and providing operational support to ERI Principal Investigators. In addition to her professional law degree, Sayili holds an M.Sc. in Strategic Management from Queen’s University, Smith School of Business, Canada. I look forward to working with Chief of Staff Sayili in establishing priorities, coordinating strategic planning, managing the internal operations of the Office of the Dean, and supporting the alignment of my vision with our mission critical activities in the college, including advancing clinical service delivery, education, research, and service to humanity,” Dean Rousseau said.

Saint Louis University is a Catholic, Jesuit institution that values academic excellence, life-changing research, compassionate health care, and a strong commitment to faith and service. Founded in 1818, the University fosters the intellectual and character development of nearly 13,000 students on two campuses in St. Louis and Madrid, Spain. Building on a legacy of more than 200 years, Saint Louis University continues to move forward with an unwavering commitment to a higher purpose, a greater good.