Steve Hillmer is a professor emeritus of decision sciences at the University of Kansas School of Business. He received his bachelor’s degree from Drake University in 1971. Hillmer completed his master’s degree in 1974 and his doctoral degree in 1976 at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.

As a KU School of Business professor, Hillmer’s research focused on decision sciences, statistical methods, quality management, customer-focused operations, and data analytics. Hillmer served as the school’s director of the Davis Center for Figure Sense from 2016 to 2024. He received the KU School of Business Gordon Fitch Service Award in 2009 and the university’s Chancellors Club Career Teaching Award in 2022.