Rikeesha Phelon
SIU School of Medicine

As Associate Provost of Strategy, Communications and Engagement at SIU School of Medicine, Phelon serves on the executive leadership team, providing strategic counsel across the School of Medicine and its clinical practice. As Chief Marketing and Communications Officer for SIU Medicine, she leads enterprise strategy development and execution, integrated marketing and communications, brand and experience strategy, market intelligence, and government and community relations.

She plays a central role in institutional strategic planning, partnering with senior leaders to shape long-range priorities, identify growth opportunities, and align resources to enterprise objectives. At one of the largest employers in Sangamon County, she also serves as a senior advisor on people strategy, employer brand, and workforce issues—ensuring alignment between organizational strategy, talent positioning, and workforce engagement through disciplined execution and cross-functional leadership.

In addition, Phelon provides executive communications coaching to senior leaders, enhancing leadership presence, storytelling, message clarity, stakeholder influence, and crisis navigation. She is trusted for her ability to operate at both strategic and operational levels—linking analytics, storytelling, talent strategy, and execution to deliver sustainable enterprise impact.