Molly Hudgins, a 1997 graduate of SIU Carbondale and former standout athlete on the women’s golf team, is the new executive director of the SIU Alumni Association.
November 01, 2023
Molly Hudgins named SIU Alumni Association executive director
CARBONDALE, Ill. – Molly Hudgins, a 1997 graduate of Southern Illinois University Carbondale and former standout athlete on the women’s golf team, is the new executive director of the SIU Alumni Association.
Hudgins replaces Jeff Gleim, who has taken over the role of associate vice chancellor for development and alumni relations and chief operating officer of the SIU Foundation. Hudgins’ new role began Nov. 1.
“I am extremely honored and excited to be the next executive director,” Hudgins said. “As a proud Saluki alum, the opportunity to serve SIU, the students and alumni is a chance to give back to a university and community that has given so much to me. The association has a great tradition of leaders, a strong board of directors and an amazing staff.”
Hudgins comes to the association from Saluki Athletics, where she served as deputy athletic director for administration and student services. Her position encompassed oversight of academics, compliance and the department’s name, image and likeness (NIL) efforts. “I can’t thank Saluki Athletics enough for the opportunity it gave me to return to Southern Illinois and my alma mater,” she said. “I loved the time I spent working with student-athletes and staff.”
She was previously a faculty member and academic administrator at Lindenwood University from 2003 to 2022, beginning as the department chair of the sport management program within the Plaster School of Business & Entrepreneurship. She was associate dean of the school and became the first associate provost of curriculum and experiential learning. She later became interim dean of the business school and was appointed dean in 2020.
Hudgins attended SIU from 1992 until 1997. She was a four-time Women’s Golf Coaches Association Academic All-American and earned all-Missouri Valley Conference honors as a senior for leading the team in scoring average. In 2007, Hudgins was named to the MVC’s All-Centennial Team. After SIU, Hudgins earned a master’s degree at Florida State and a Juris Doctor from the University of Tennessee.
In addition, Hudgins has been an active volunteer with the SIU Alumni Association, where she has served as a member of its national board of directors and as president. She was instrumental in making updates and changes to the board’s bylaws and in the association’s recent transition away from its annual dues-based membership operating model.
“Molly knows this organization well and has been a superb advocate for all alumni. I’m confident she will continue the momentum of this organization as its executive director,” Mike Blumhorst, president of the association’s national board of directors, said. “We’re reaching more alumni now than ever, and Molly will be a great spokesperson for the association.”
As the largest and oldest organization on campus, the SIU Alumni Association has been proudly serving SIU alumni and friends since 1896. It seeks to engage alumni, students and friends of the university by preserving SIU traditions, promoting pride in an SIU education and facilitating opportunities for students and alumni to connect professionally.
Today, the association has continued to grow and serve as a connection between more than 260,000 alumni in every state of the U.S. and in more than 100 countries, as well as family and friends of the university. This is done by the association playing a major role in key university functions by working with various departments across campus, including SIU Career Development, Saluki Athletics and the Office of the Chancellor, on events and programs that support the university’s mission.
The association sponsors the Student Alumni Council, a student-run organization linking students with alumni and friends of SIU Carbondale, while also delivering financial assistance programs in the form of scholarships and textbooks. Reunions are also organized and steered by the association in order to bring Salukis back home. These include the Black Alumni Group and the 50-Year Class Reunion.