Jim Hilbert was appointed Interim President and Dean pending a national search for a permanent successor to Anthony Niedwiecki. Hilbert had been the Vice-Dean for Academic and Student Affairs since 2020, and he had taught at Mitchell Hamline since 2015.
Hilbert graduated from Carleton College in 1989 and received his J.D. from the University of Minnesota in 1996. He served as a Fellow at the University’s Institute on Race and Poverty from 1996-1999 and practiced with the Shulman Law Firm from 1997-2007. During that time, he also taught at the University of St. Thomas Center for Business Excellence (2007-2010), served as a producer at Jujitsu Films (2003-04), and worked as Vice President for Professional Services at Alignor (2001-2015.)
At Mitchell Hamline, he was executive director for the Center for Negotiation and Justice (2007-2015) and has been co-director of the Expert Witness Training Academy since 2012. In the community, he is a long-time member of the Saint Paul NAACP, and chair of its education committee, and he served as ad hoc counsel for the NAACP in school desegregation litigation.