CBO Speaks

Randy Gentzler serves as vice president for finance and administration at Loyola University Maryland today, but higher education has never let him stray too far. After a career in higher ed finance starting on the accounting track straight out of college, he counts the variety of roles in higher education and strong mentor relationships as the keys to his success as a CBO. As a mentor himself toda...

Brett Dalton serves as vice president for finance and operations today, but it's been a long road to the role. He started in economics at the institution as a graduate student. His connections at the school opened his eyes to the value of higher education. "I realized that higher education provided the things that interested and motivated me about how higher education can transform individual live...

Lynn Coleman is the vice president of administration and finance for Howard Community College, having served the school since 1986. Today, she is responsible for building, safeguarding, and guiding the college's physical, financial, and human infrastructure. Under her leadership, the administration and finance division has helped Howard become the fastest growing community college in Maryland. "On...

Vice President for Finance and Administration for Davidson College Ed Kania landed in higher ed thanks to the luck of the economic downturn. Knowing nothing of higher education offered him the benefit of a new view, and awareness of the state of infrastructure of his new institution along with the opportunities for growth and improvement therein. "People skills were extremely important. My departm...

Middlesex County College Vice President of Finance and Administration Sue Perkins was one of only two women Vice Presidents in community colleges when she took on the role. Things have changed today, thanks to hard work, persistence, and deep collaboration with a growing network of higher education professionals. "When I look back on my career path, I realize now how important it was to talk to pe...

CBO Arch Asawa's first job in education happened to be one of many firsts. As vice president of finance at Soka University, he joined the administrative team in building the liberal arts institution from scratch. As a start-up, the challenges he faced came plenty, and fast, from building staff, vetting and hiring faculty, and crafting programs to create a best in class education experience. "I kne...

CBO Connie Kanter knows something about rapid innovation. In fact, her role at Seattle U. is her first role in education after a career in a high tech start-up. "You have to roll your shirt sleeves up and everybody does everything. You're living in a constrained environment." That the rules of finance in a start-up are so similar to the rules of finance in higher education are where the parallels...

"The secret of being a great financial officer is being able to talk to  anyone about  anything ," says today's guest. And with over 40 years tenure at Spelman College, VP of Business and Financial Affairs, Robert "Danny" Flanigan, knows a thing or two about talking finance to a wide range of interests. Flanigan shares his insights on the evolution of the CBO role. In the old days, financial offic...

Cal Poly Senior Vice President for Administration and Finance Cindy Villa is new to the university but not to the role. Her recent transition to CalPoly after 28 years at another institution affords her a unique perspective on administrative leadership and change. "Our role over the years has evolved. A CBO now has to be far more entrepreneurial — you have to be creative and willing to take risks....

Prairie View A&M Senior Vice President of Business Affairs Corey Bradford assumed he was on track for a career in corporate America, but the reward of working in higher education was too great to deny. Bradford's first professional role was in the budget office, in fact, and he worked into the CBO role from there. From continuing education to on-the-job experience in campus crisis management, Brad...

Boise State Vice President of Finance and Administration Stacy Pearson brings robust experience from her career to her role in higher education. Boise State's growth is the result of smart leadership across the institution, according to Pearson, and this has prepared them to be more nimble, able to face whatever economic, social, and political challenges lay ahead. Most important, Pearson shares h...

You might not think of big pharma as a launchpad for a successful CBO, but that's the path of our guest, Mike Mandl. As EVP for Business and Administration at Emory University, Mike brings a rich experience across industries to his work as an institutional leader. His early exploration led to a decades-long commitment to "a cause bigger than myself," says Mandl. Today on CBO Speaks, shares how he...

Amir Rahnamay-Azar is unique in our collection of interviews; he's the first we've come across who aspired to business administration early in his career, rather than coming to financial leadership accidentally. He sees his team at Carnegie Mellon University as a group of friends and colleagues, equally adept in financial and strategic management as they are committed to the team's role in financi...

Brian Gutierrez has served as vice chancellor for finance and administration for Texas Christian University for over a decade. Like most CBOs, his responsibilities range from contracts, to risk, to audit management, all the way to the bookstore operations. What makes Gutierrez unique is his approach to working with his people. He espouses the critical importance of developing emotional intelligenc...

Dr. Betty Roberts has only been vice president for finance & administration at New Rochelle for about a year. But in her 30 years prior, she's served as an operational leader across institutions and departments. From information technology to sustainability to finance and organization development, she's seen it all. And that, she says, is a great gift — it serves to define the role of today's CBO....

Mike Unebasami has been with the University of Hawaii system in some way or another since 1968. Today, he serves as associate vice president for administrative affairs for University of Hawaii community colleges, but his long tenure in the system has given him a view of change unlike most in our industry and his insights as a result are that much more transformative. As many have reported in this...

This week, our CBO brings his global finance experience to Ithaca College. Gerald Hector hails from Kingston, Jamaica, originally a college athlete, serving non-profits through his first corporate role at Deloitte & Touche. His experience there lifted his profile, leading to an invitation to join the higher education community. It's a fascinating conversation this week as Hector shares his insight...

This week's featured CBO, Mary Lou Merkt, is a seasoned higher ed veteran. She brings a wealth of experience across two other prestigious institutions to her current role as vice president for finance and administration at Furman University. Today, Merkt joins Megan Strand to share her experience in strategically developing her team. She talks about the importance of recognition — especially throu...

University of Arizona Chief Financial Officer Gregg Goldman takes on change in gulps, not bites. Coming to the CBO role from the at the UA from the USC Marshall School where he served as a Dean and CFO in January of this year, he's taking on new functions and demands across the institution at a steady clip. His background in academic leadership makes Goldman a unique pick for CBO, but he says it's...

Dr. Brontè Jones joined Dickinson College because of the institution's demonstrated commitment to sustainability and global affairs. What she found there is a team dedicated to educational success. In this episode of CBO Speaks, Dr. Jones shares her perspective on the power of communication in her role, the importance of being able to comfortably and clearly translate complex financial realities i...

Roger Bruszewski will begin his 39th year in higher ed this fall. In his role as VP for Finance and Administration for Millersville University, he's seen a world of challenge and opportunity. But the winding path of his career from chief information officer(Yes, CIO — you read that right!) has given him keen insights into the role of managing people, mentorship, and the stamp of legacy of the CBO...

Nikki Krawitz has spent a career in education dedicated to refining the teaching and learning process. This week on CBO Speaks, Nikki joins us to share her journey from educator to finance leader at University of Missouri. From her work with presidents and board members, she offers insight into the importance of adaptability and delivering quality service in the face of sometimes fierce constraint...

Nim Chinniah's new role as executive vice president and chief operating officer at Northwestern University is broad in scope and scale. This week on CBO Speaks, Nim joins us to talk about the critical importance of partnership across the business office and the office of the provost. He's worked hard to break down silos and offers his insight into creating a more fluid, cross-institutional practic...