Pam Hillyard

Biography

Pam Hillyard, is the Program Director of the Center for the Study of Education Policy at Illinois State University where she provides senior-level leadership for the administration, fiscal management, and sustainability of externally funded projects.

Serving as the Center’s primary authority for sponsored project management, she oversees the full grant life cycle, ensuring compliance with university policies and federal, state, and sponsor requirements. The Program Director partners with Center leadership and Principal Investigators to guide project planning, budget and contract management, implementation oversight, and continuous improvement, while supervising project staff and serving as the primary liaison to internal university units and external partners to ensure effective execution and long-term sustainability of funded initiatives.

Ms. Hillyard is an accomplished leader with more than 20 years of management experience and a strong record of delivering operational excellence across education, healthcare, and research environments. With over 14 years dedicated to project management and process improvement, she excels at guiding complex initiatives, aligning teams, and driving measurable results.

She has extensive expertise in grant management, having administered and supported over $25 million in externally funded federal, state, and foundation projects for the Regional Office of Education #17 and Illinois State University’s Center for the Study of Education Policy. Her work includes fiscal oversight, compliance assurance, project management, data integrity monitoring, and strategic planning to sustain long-term grant-funded programs.