President Ronald S. Rochon has announced the appointment of Aaron C. Trump to the position of chief government and legal affairs officer at the University of Southern Indiana. He will assume official duties Monday, December 3.
Trump will undertake responsibilities previously held in part by Cindy Brinker, senior vice president emerita of government relations, who retired on June 30, 2018. This position also combines the newly established, internal role of legal affairs for USI. The position will report to the president of the University and is a member of the President’s Council.
As chief government and legal affairs officer, Trump will serve as USI’s principal liaison to local, state and federal government officials, including members and staff of the Indiana General Assembly, the Office of the Governor, the Indiana Commission for Higher Education, the Office of Management and Budget as well as related associations, groups and organizations locally, throughout the State of Indiana and at the federal level. He also will provide legal counsel and guidance to the president, Board of Trustees and other members of the University community on a broad range of legal matters relevant to the institution.
“Sound guidance in the government and legal affairs realms are vital to the University,” said Rochon. “Combining these fields is new to USI. Mr. Trump shows enormous passion and demonstrated skill in these two areas and we look forward to him joining our team.”
Currently, Trump serves as the civil rights investigator for all complaints falling under Title IX, Title VII and other federal and state laws for the University of Colorado in Denver. He was an associate attorney for two Evansville-based law firms: Ziemer, Stayman, Weitzel and Shoulders, L.L.P. and Kahn Dees Donovan and Kahn L.L.P. In these roles, among other duties, he provided counsel to universities on student affairs and federal compliance.
Trump is licensed to practice law in the State of Indiana and has received certifications in trial advocacy skills, advanced sexual misconduct and civil rights investigation. His legal career includes representing municipalities, manufacturers, retailers and other business clients in small claims, Superior, Circuit and Federal Courts, and advising governmental departments on the policy implications of local, state and federal codes. He served as a Section Chief/Staff Sergeant – Field Artillery for the United States Army National Guard.
Trump received a Juris Doctor degree from Washington University in St. Louis. He also earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a master’s degree in higher education and student affairs from Indiana University.
