Cbo Speaks

Lori Beaty is Chief Financial Officer/Executive Vice President for Finance and Administration at Tarleton State University in Stephenville, Texas. In this episode, Lori joins our host Donna Schiele to talk about transitioning from grant accounting, being a lifelong learner, and why it’s important to remember that you don’t have to understand every detail of the work you oversee. “I have needed to grow key skills as I’ve grown into this position,” she says. She calls out flexibility and collaboration as the two skills she’s developed the most as she’s continued her CBO role. “We have to be able to have those collaborative conversations and come to what is best for the institution as a whole, not always what looks right on paper from a finance perspective.” She goes on to talk about the value in seeing from other perspectives, notably the Provost, Student Affairs, Enrollment Management, and more. Join us for a conversation with Lori as she talks about surrounding yourself with great people, the challenge of w

Glen Nakata is the Vice Chancellor for Financial and Administrative Affairs at Purdue University Fort Wayne in Indiana. In this episode, Glen joins our host Donna Schiele to talk about the value of attracting international students, building a team with people that bring something new to the discussion, and being inquisitive.   “I want to bring people from different backgrounds, different regions, different countries to learn more from them,” he says. He talks about how as an organization, they only get stronger when they do that, not just as students but also as employees. “If you keep hiring the same people over and over again, what are you really going to learn?” He goes on to talk about why this strengthens their pillar of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.   Join us for a conversation with Glen as he talks about the importance of listening, learning to collaborate with everyone at the university, and always being transparent.

Geoff Chatas is Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer at University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan. In this episode, Geoff joins our host Donna Schiele to talk about his learning curve coming from the corporate world, thinking about the world in different ways, and developing great teams, before getting out of their way.   “It’s okay to innovate. It’s okay to take risks. It’s okay to push the envelope, but do it within the tolerance of what your organization can handle,” he says. It’s a challenge for every CBO as they learn to find the right ways to bring about collaborative change. “You have to be able to bend the institution without breaking it.”   Join us for a conversation with Geoff as he talks about not being afraid to think big, leaving a legacy of succession planning, and applying the same principles whether you’re in a big or small institution.

Lisa Rulney is Senior Vice President for Business Affairs and CFO at University of Arizona in Tucson, Arizona. In this episode, Lisa joins our host Donna Schiele to talk about the benefits of longevity, the value of constructive criticism, and the importance of focusing on financial sustainability.   “More than ever, we have to have a focus on efficient operations and innovation,” she says. She talks about the value in being forced to pivot quickly to online learning and the ways that helped them better understand how to operate efficiently. “We also need to respond rapidly to signals in the market, which isn’t something institutions have done well in the past.” She goes on to talk about how everyone needs to find their people – a pool of like-minded colleagues.   Join us for a conversation with Lisa as she talks about a legacy of making those around her stronger, empowering her team to take risks, and sharing her own mistakes so everyone can learn from them.   LINKS Lisa Rulney on LinkedIn

Manish Kumar is Vice President of Finance and Administration at Northeastern Illinois University in Chicago. In this episode, he joins our host Donna Schiele to talk about federally designated Hispanic-Serving Institutions, strategies to help grow enrollment, and the importance of understanding shared governance for the academic system.   “Like every institution during the Pandemic, it has affected our minority students very disproportionately,” he says. He talks about why it’s important to help those students stay on track during school and graduate on time. “The national trend has been enrollment going down overall.” He goes on to talk about how more students are moving out of Chicago and the state, and how that’s a challenge for them in their competitive market.   Join us for a conversation with Manish as he talks about the mission and vision to serve, the joy of seeing students on campus again, and doing what no one else wants to do.

William Nunez is Vice Chancellor for Finance and Administration and CFO at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, Texas. In this episode, he joins our host Donna Schiele to talk about stepping into well-run programs, moving to a private sector university, and learning you can’t do it all.   “You’re not the expert on all the things that are reported to you,” he says. He talks about the importance of being a great listener, of trusting your people, of hiring great people, of being knowledgeable enough to know the right questions to ask. “It really comes down to understanding the limitations of every human and understanding that we’re always improving.” He goes on to talk about how he’ll be better tomorrow than he was today just because of the great people he’s working with.   Join us for a conversation with Nunez as he talks about his love for higher education – particularly the first three weeks of the fall semester with all its energy and excitement about what’s to come.

Jim Matteo is Vice President for Finance and Treasurer for Princeton University in Princeton, New Jersey. In this episode, Jim joins our host Donna Schiele to talk about figuring out your ‘edge’, being a team player, and working in a state versus a private university.   `“How do we help advance what I’ll call excellence and equity at Princeton?” he asks. He talks about how this is a key question to advancing their strategic priorities. “That’s a place where we spend quite a bit of time redesigning process, making investments of funds, and channeling a lot of our effort.” He talks about attracting the best talent they can to grow their student body, one of their strategic priorities.   Join us for a conversation with Jim as he talks about building your network, volunteering on committees, and building your reputation.

Julee Gard is Vice President for Administration and Finance and Chief Financial Officer at the University of St. Francis in Joliet, Illinois. In this episode, Julee joins our host Donna Schiele to talk about following your dreams, transferrable skills, and retention.   “I’m just as responsible for making sure that our current students remain and feel welcomed as anybody else in a leadership role,” she says. She talks about how that’s a big shift in the higher education field now than when she started. “We are all responsible for retention. It’s all of our jobs. ” She talks about the silos of responsibility in higher ed, but that it’s important to break down those silos to help retain the students.   Join us for a conversation with Julee as she talks about the value these days of 24/7 response to the needs of the students in this post-pandemic world, keeping a good sense of humor, and being realistic in managing your expectations.

Doug Schantz is Vice President for Business Affairs for Clark State College in Springfield, Ohio. In this episode, Doug joins our host Donna Schiele to talk about working in his hometown, the importance of affordability, and the positives of the pandemic.   “It catapulted us much further in evolving as an industry than I think we would’ve achieved within even the next five to ten years,” he says. He talks about how it provided an opportunity to look toward the future of higher education as a whole. “We need to think about the evolving needs of our students. They’re getting used to on-demand learning. How are we going to support that?” He goes on to talk about thinking outside the box to keep up with the fast and ever-shifting changes in the industry.   Join us for a conversation with Doug as he talks about being responsive to the people they serve and why it’s important to adapt to different and evolving structures.

Chris Martin is Vice President for Finance and Administration / CFO at Salt Lake Community College in Salt Lake City, Utah. In this episode, Chris joins our host Donna Schiele to talk about figuring out secondary education’s role in the industry, working with the local municipalities, and creating a more flexible system that allows for more innovative thinking.   “We’re a place where all students are welcome,” he says. That’s the mission as he describes it, but they have to adjust to compete with things like Google Certificates or Amazon Certificates. “Are we willing to adjust how we do things to compete on a new level?” He goes on to talk about creating lifelong relationships with alumni and why that’s critical as we move toward a more competitive future.   Join us for a conversation with Chris as he talks about reworking your way of thinking to ‘as if’ instead of ‘we can’t’ and how that can help move forward.

Dr. Ruth Johnston is Vice Chancellor, Chief Operating Officer, and Chief COVID-19 Officer at New Mexico State University in Las Cruces, New Mexico. In this episode, Johnston joins our host Donna Schiele to talk about being nimble, challenges ahead for higher education, and why understanding the system from all perspectives is critical for a CBO.   “To be a successful CBO or COO, you really need to understand the system, and not just the administrative side but how the students fit in, how the faculty fit in, how shared governance works,” she says. All while you’re also handling the administration of it all. Administration is in support of the academy. “Our job is to make sure the goals for the academy are reached.” She emphasizes goals for student success; research and creativity; and extension, outreach, and service.   Join us for a conversation with Johnston as she talks about the value of walking meetings, leaning into the job to make yourself do parts you may not be looking forward to, and the value of me

Kelli Shomaker is Vice President for Business and Finance and CFO at Auburn University in Auburn, Alabama. In this episode, Shomaker joins our host Donna Schiele to talk about spending time on the University’s vision, maintaining their mission through the pandemic, and the importance of town and gown. “It’s really important that we take into careful consideration changes that we might make here on this campus and how that might affect the city,” she says. If they choose to grow their enrollment without providing additional housing, she gives as an example, that puts the burden on the town. As Auburn’s largest employer, they need to take all of this into consideration. “It’s a very good relationship, but it’s one that we understand that we need to nurture all the time as best we can.” She goes on to talk about the balance between city and school and why it’s important to pay attention to all aspects. Join us for a conversation with Shomaker as she talks about setting an example, learning to get out of your com

Christopher Lee is Vice President for Administration and Finance at Grand View University in Des Moines, Iowa. In this episode, Lee joins our host Donna Schiele to talk about learning to prioritize without panic, optimizing your choices, and being a CBO in a faith-based institution.   “We are here as professionals not to panic but to simply anticipate as much as we can, prepare for the fact that big things will always come at us, have plans in place for things we can prepare for, and then as those things come, assess, evaluate, prioritize, and then execute in the best interest of our institutions and our students,” he says. He relates his thinking to Douglas Adams’ classic quote “Don’t panic” from The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. “Many people lose sight of that mission and purpose. We need to always keep in mind if we’re operating in that best interest. That’s one of the ways we keep ourselves sustainable.” He goes on to talk about the CBO’s role of stewardship for the organizations.   Join us for a conv

Maisha Williams is Executive Vice President, Finance and Administration and Chief Financial Officer at Marymount Manhattan College in New York, NY. In this episode, Williams joins our host Donna Schiele to talk about her family history in education, the pros and cons of working at a small arts college in the heart of the city, and the artistic view of pairing majors.   “Our location is so rich in so many different areas from a cultural perspective,” she says. The location allows them to utilize the city and all it offers to provide a unique focus toward what they offer the students. “Our work with the community is on many different fronts.” She goes on to talk about the power of having a mentor who was a person of color that helped her model her own behavior and career direction.   Join us for a conversation with Williams as she talks about working with the shifts in the modern post-pandemic industry, being a strategic partner as well as true collaborator, and the importance of building a team that incorporat

Welcome to this special bonus episode of CBO Speaks. We’ve asked our recent interviewees about important topics for our listeners and collected their responses to share with you in these mini topical episodes. In this episode, our CBOs share resources, including readings, podcasts, and organizations, that they’ve found helpful in their roles.

Welcome to this special bonus episode of CBO Speaks. We’ve asked our recent interviewees about important topics for our listeners and collected their responses to share with you in these mini topical episodes. In this episode, our CBOs give suggestions for supporting creative solutions and finding a way to say “yes” to new ideas.

Welcome to this special bonus episode of CBO Speaks. We’ve asked our recent interviewees about important topics for our listeners and collected their responses to share with you in these mini topical episodes. In this episode, our CBOs discuss collaboration, both within and outside the institution, and ways to build new collaborative relationships.

Welcome to this special bonus episode of CBO Speaks. We’ve asked our recent interviewees about important topics for our listeners and collected their responses to share with you in these mini topical episodes. In this episode, our CBOs reflect on how to advocate for student success and what impacts student success at their institutions.

Welcome to this special bonus episode of CBO Speaks. We’ve asked our recent interviewees about important topics for our listeners and collected their responses to share with you in these mini topical episodes. In this episode, our CBOs give their views on advocacy and what they work to advocate for on their campuses.

Welcome to this special bonus episode of CBO Speaks. We’ve asked our recent interviewees about important topics for our listeners and collected their responses to share with you in these mini topical episodes. In this episode, our CBOs discuss how to put action towards diversity, equity, and inclusion... or DEI.