The University of Iowa has begun a national search for its next chief financial officer, who will serve as the university’s senior financial strategist and report directly to the president.
The search follows the announcement that Terry Johnson, chief financial officer and treasurer, will retire on April 5 after 34 years at the university.
Peter Matthes, vice president for external relations and senior advisor to the president, and Edith Parker, dean of the College of Public Health, will co-chair the search committee. The university has retained executive search firm Spencer Stuart to assist with the national search. Other members of the search committee are:
- Nancy Dunkel, Iowa Board of Regents
- Beth Goetz, Henry B. and Patricia B. Tippie Director of Athletics
- Brad Haws, chief executive officer, UI Health Care clinical enterprise, and associate vice president, UI Health Care
- Craig Just, Donald E. Bently Professor in Engineering, professor of civil and environmental engineering, and Faculty Senate past president
- Ryan Kirkey, senior director for business and financial administration, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
- Ashley Peters, revenue cycle manager, UI Health Care, and vice president/president-elect of Staff Council
- Scott Seagren, business officer, Division of Student Life
The next chief financial officer (CFO) will report directly to UI president Barbara Wilson, reflecting the strategic role that financial leadership plays in advancing the university’s academic, research, health care, and service missions.
As part of the transition, the university also will more clearly distinguish its executive leadership for finance from its leadership for campus operations.
The position currently known as senior vice president for finance and operations and held by Rod Lehnertz will become vice president for operations. Lehnertz will focus on and oversee campus planning, business and real estate, facilities management, business services, and campus safety.
Separating the two portfolios will allow the chief financial officer to focus on university-wide financial strategy and stewardship, while the vice president for operations will focus on the physical, administrative, and operational infrastructure that supports the university’s missions.
“Our financial strength gives us the opportunity to think strategically about how we invest in the university’s future,” Wilson says. “Having the CFO report directly to the president will bring that financial perspective into our highest-level decisions and ensure that our resources continue to be aligned with our priorities. At the same time, having dedicated leadership for campus operations will allow our infrastructure functions to have the focus they need to serve the university well.”
Working closely with university and health care leaders, the Iowa Board of Regents, and stakeholders across the institution, the chief financial officer will align financial resources with strategic priorities and support institutional decision-making through analysis and forecasting. The CFO also will promote transparency, accountability, and stewardship of university resources.
Johnson has served as Iowa’s CFO and treasurer since 2016, after serving in the role on an interim basis for a year. He joined the university in 1993 and became associate vice president and university controller in 1997.
Additional information about the search, including opportunities for the university community to participate in it, will be shared as the process moves forward.