WORCESTER – Heather Hayes was in the middle of planning a move to Connecticut with her husband when she received a phone call from an old colleague. Vincent D. Rougeau, the president of Holy Cross, called to offer her a new job to work by his side as vice president and chief of staff of the school.

“When president … Rougeau asked me to join him at Holy Cross and offered me the role, I was surprised and elated,” Hayes said. “Our family had been in the midst of planning our move to New Haven, Connecticut where my husband had been working for the past two years. Obviously that plan changed a bit.”

In her role, Hayes will serve as a key partner in the president’s executive leadership team and will help develop and implement the strategic goals of the college. She will also serve as secretary to the Board of Trustees.

Prior to joining Holy Cross, Hayes was associate dean of strategic and student affairs at Boston College Law School. She began her work at BC Law as the assistant dean for career services. It was at BC where Rougeau witnessed the value Hayes brings to an academic institution.

“I could not be more delighted to announce Heather Hayes as my new chief of staff, as she was crucial in helping realize my vision of a holistic approach … at BC Law,” Rougeau said. “Heather is a talented strategic thinker who never takes her eye off our long-term goals and brings an impressive depth of administrative management know-how to the role of chief of staff.”

Hayes said the opportunity to work closely with President Rougeau again made the position at Holy Cross an attractive one. “We share a similar approach to leadership and enjoy working collaboratively,” she said. “He’s just the best!

“I also hold Holy Cross in high esteem for its academic excellence and was thrilled for him when he confided that he was going to become its next President (back in the spring),” she said. 

Hayes graduated magna cum laude as a government major from Clark University and she earned a juris doctorate from Boston College. Hayes’ background includes work in large law firms, both as a lawyer and in lawyer recruitment and professional development. She was a litigation associate with the law firm of Cooley Manion Jones, led lateral recruiting efforts for Testa Hurwitz & Thibeault and served as firm-wide director of legal recruitment for WilmerHale. 

“Professionally, the opportunity to step away from the legal industry where I’ve been immersed for more than 25 years, and into undergraduate higher education was a big draw,” Hayes said. “I also believe that the Jesuit educational experience is transformative. I’ve lived it myself and seen the impact firsthand with many, many law students. So, it is particularly exciting in this next phase of my professional life to be part of that with college age students.”

Since being hired in mid-July, Hayes said the people of Holy Cross and the physical campus have made a strong impression on her.

“I have had the opportunity … to get to know a number of people across the College,” she said. “One consistent feeling I have after each meeting is that everyone at Holy Cross is genuinely interested in helping the new administration succeed. There is a culture of kindness such that the default operating mode is ‘how can I help you.’ We will certainly need everyone’s help and are so appreciative. Something else that I’ve noticed in my short time here, is how incredibly beautiful the campus is. The grounds, the architecture and the art are just incredible!” 

Hayes has hit the ground running as preparation by the executive leadership team is fast underway for the fall semester. “I have to say this is a very impressive and talented group. And likeable,” she said, noting the importance of collaboration across the administrative teams, and transparent communication between the administration, faculty, students and the greater community, while also being a leader in diversity, equity and inclusion efforts. “Some of the leaders have been with the College for many years and some for only a handful. All bring prior experiences that help inform our discussions. It is a terrific mix. The Executive Team, particularly coming out of the first Covid crisis, already had established a high degree of respect for one another and trust. I feel that we are all getting to know one another better and the style of how our team works together will continue to be highly communicative.”
 As the new vice president, she believes in creating a culture of data-driven decision making. “Coming from a leadership team at BC Law that over time transformed from more observational or anecdotal reasons for its decision making, to one that came to rely on consistent gathering and tracking of metrics to inform its decision making, I’d never go back,” she said. “Having good data and strong analysis helps everyone ask better questions … better questions lead to better decisions.”

Rougeau is on record complimenting Hayes as a “strategic thinker.”

“I think what President Rougeau was referring to is the fact that he knows from working closely together with me that there is a constant running thread in my head about his vision for the institution’s future success,” Hayes said. “He’s the one charged with the vision, and I’m trying to help him make it happen. How might we get from here to there? There’s never just one route forward. Who can help us think about this, and what do we need to do? It’s creative and a challenge. I love it!”