Craig Henderson

Providing executive leadership for presidential initiatives aligned with university priorities, Henderson directly supports the president and serves as a primary adviser to him and his direct reports. A member of the Senior Leadership Team and administrator for the President’s Cabinet, he oversees daily operations within the Executive Office of the President, collaborates with university offices to coordinate execution of strategy and resolution of emergent issues, and engages internal and external stakeholders on behalf of the president.

Prior to joining the University of Arizona’s leadership team, Henderson provided executive support for three successive presidents over a 10-year period at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, the nation’s top-ranked cancer treatment and research institution. He most recently served as associate vice president and led executive office teams; advised the president and senior leaders in all aspects of daily operations; spearheaded priority projects; and acted as a primary liaison to reporting offices, supporters and dignitaries. He played a central role in the development and implementation of a new shared governance structure for senior leadership across the cancer center’s clinical, research, prevention and education mission areas that subsequently served as a model for other academic and health institutions.

With a background in journalism and publishing, Henderson managed all forms of presidential communication over the past decade after previously directing strategic communications for MD Anderson’s Office of the Provost and heading a team responsible for online content. He previously served as publishing manager at the American Productivity & Quality Center, a member-based nonprofit organization in Houston, Texas; as an editor and consultant at Thompson Communications Inc., a national publications firm in Maryland; as a reporter and photographer at multiple newspapers in Kentucky; and as a corporate communications writer at Lexmark International Inc. He earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Kentucky.