Reeder most recently has served as vice president for business affairs and chief financial officer at Eastern Illinois University in Charleston. He has previous administrative experience at Michigan State University and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where he is a Ph.D. candidate in Educational Policy, Organization and Leadership.

At Eastern Illinois, Reeder made diversity and inclusion a priority. His team increased diverse business spend with MBE/WBE vendors from 3.4% in 2019 to 12.5% in 2021 

He is a U.S. Navy veteran who served aboard the nuclear submarine USS Casimir Pulaski. He then enrolled at the University of Illinois to pursue his bachelor’s degree in engineering while also working as a senior reactor operator in the university’s nuclear reactor laboratory.

“Sean’s strengths include a wide range of experience in both public university and private industry roles, particularly in areas of significant importance for future plans at UMKC. These include real estate, public-private partnerships and technology transfer,” said Chancellor Mauli Agrawal.

“I am excited about coming to UMKC because I see extraordinary promise in both the university and in Kansas City,” Reeder said. “The level of community engagement by UMKC demonstrates an impressive and effective partnership. There are plenty of opportunities here for achieving excellence, and I look forward to playing a role in that process.”