Rutgers Appoints New Chief Risk Officer

Christine Stallmann brings deep higher education experience in risk management, compliance

Christine Stallmann is Rutgers University’s senior vice president for risk and compliance and chief risk officer, effective today.

Stallmann arrives at Rutgers with more than two decades of leadership in higher education compliance and risk management at Cornell and Syracuse universities. As chief risk officer, she will provide universitywide leadership in identifying, assessing, mitigating, and monitoring risks that could affect Rutgers’ academic mission, financial stability, regulatory standing, reputation, and operations.

“Christine Stallmann brings not only deep experience but also good judgment, innovative thinking, and effective leadership to this newly defined position, and I am excited to have her join our community,” said Kimberly Lewis, Rutgers’ executive vice president and chief administrative officer. 

Stallmann will oversee University Ethics and Compliance and Enterprise Risk Management. She will report to Lewis and have a dotted-line connection with the Office of Civil Rights and Equal Opportunity. 

After beginning her career in the private sector, Stallmann served at Cornell University from 2007 to 2023, first as associate vice president for compliance, risk, and safety services and then as chief compliance and privacy officer.  There she built and led Cornell’s executive-level and director-level emergency management framework, established the enterprise Compliance Office, and led the university’s environment, health, and safety and emergency response across Cornell University’s multi-campus network, including the animal hospital complex, 19 remote and land-grant locations, and the university's extensive research operations.

In 2023, Stallmann was appointed as chief compliance officer at Syracuse University, where she led the design and execution of a university ethics and compliance framework; built a federal compliance matrix mapping statutory requirements, reporting deadlines, and requirement descriptions; and transformed the compliance hotline and reporting system ensuring case closure and implementing a streamlined dashboard.

She earned a bachelor’s degree in safety science at Indiana University of Pennsylvania and a master’s degree in hazardous waste management at Southern Methodist University. She also holds certificates from Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Business and Carnegie Mellon University’s Heinz College.