Kris Klinger
Kris Klinger has been named associate vice president of auxiliary services at Syracuse University. He has more than 30 years of experience in hospitality and auxiliary services and has spent the last 11 years as assistant vice president within the University of Southern California’s (USC) auxiliary services department. Klinger began his tenure with Syracuse University on July 27, and reports to Amir Rahnamay-Azar, senior vice president for business, finance and administrative services (BFAS) and chief financial officer.
Klinger will develop long-range strategies for auxiliary services to ensure efficient operations and continuous improvement to meet the University’s goals and mission. As auxiliary services touches nearly every aspect of University life, he will collaborate with other campus leaders to advance a number of key initiatives in an effort to enhance the living and learning experience for the University’s diverse student population.
“Auxiliary services serves as a cornerstone in our division’s desire to elevate the quality of services offered to our community,” says Rahnamay-Azar. “Effective delivery of services involving day-to-day life on campus is a top priority in our division. With Kris’s vast experience in all aspects of hospitality, I know he will make an immediate impact on campus.”
The BFAS strategic plan aims to create an unparalleled Syracuse University experience, and Klinger will assess and strengthen auxiliary services’ strategies, policies and practices in an effort to respond to the University’s ever-growing and evolving needs, says Rahnamay-Azar.
During his time at USC, Klinger led the hospitality and hotel units and supported the operations team at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. He oversaw 42 residential, catering and retail food service operations, serving over four million meals annually to a student, staff and faculty population of more than 75,000. While leading the housing unit at USC, Klinger supervised 53 housing complexes with 9,200 beds and introduced dedicated housing for USC’s veteran students.
Klinger earned his MBA at the USC Marshall School of Business and holds a bachelor’s degree in German and international relations from the same university. Over the course of his career, Klinger has earned recognition from the National Association of College Auxiliary Services, the Association of College and University Food Services, the American Culinary Federation, the National Restaurant Association, and the International Coaching Federation. He is a veteran of the United States Marine Corps, and served on the board of advisors for the USC Masters in Business for Veterans program.
