An examination of the relationship between business acumen and chief human resource officers’ (CHROs) effectiveness has been missing from the practitioner and academic literatures. To remedy this deficiency, elements of the SHRM HR Competency Model, the ATD Competency Model, and the HR Competency Model were used to frame, theorize, and test propositions in this study of the relationship between business acumen and CHRO effectiveness in institutions of higher education. To this end, a survey, was employed to elicit responses from a sample of chief human resources officers responsible for leading and managing the HR function at institutions of higher education. To ensure proper representation of CHRO responses across the different types of institutions, proportional stratified sampling was used. The resulting survey data were analyzed using descriptive, correlational, and inferential statistics to examine propositions describing the relationship between business acumen and CHRO effectiveness. Descriptive statistical analysis showed: (a) CHROs possess a mix of business acumen skills, (b) CHROs vary in the extent to which they possess business acumen, and (c) CHRO effectiveness levels vary from not effective to effective. Correlational statistical analysis revealed CHRO effectiveness was significantly correlated with business acumen. Furthermore, inferential statistical analysis indicated the mix of business acumen skills did not differ significantly across effective CHROs employed at non-profit and for-profit institutions of higher education. Key Words: business acumen, effectiveness, chief human resource officers (CHROs), institutions of higher education / Business Administration/Human Resource Management