Ellen Herbst Appointed Vice Chancellor for Administration and Finance
Adelphi, Md. (10-30-17) -- University System of Maryland (USM) Chancellor
Robert L. Caret has appointed Ellen Herbst as the system's Vice Chancellor for
Administration and Finance, beginning November 27, 2017. Currently Chief
Financial Officer and Assistant Secretary for Administration at the United
States Department of Commerce, Herbst will succeed Joe Vivona, who has served
the USM since 1996.
"We are excited to welcome Ellen to the
University System of Maryland," Caret said. "She's a proven
leader with deep experience overseeing budget, finance, personnel and
facilities at a large, complex public organization. Her creativity and
drive were key characteristics we were seeking.
I'm confident Ellen will help us build on our status as one of the most
respected public higher education systems in the nation."
As vice chancellor for administration and
finance, Herbst will manage the system's financial and administrative
performance. In this position, she will serve as a senior leader for the USM
office and across the system, work directly with USM's 12 institutions and two
regional centers; and represent USM as it partners with Maryland's public
officials to provide high quality, accessible, and affordable educational
opportunities, support research and scholarship, and foster programs that serve
citizens of Maryland and the nation. In particular, she will oversee USM's
strategic planning, performance and accountability, enrollment management,
operating budget, finance and comptroller, debt management and financial
reporting, endowment administration and oversight, capital planning and
development, information technology, institutional research and information
management, financial and administrative policy development, and human
resources.
"I look forward to the opportunity to work with
Chancellor Caret and the entire team in support of all the universities in the
great University System of Maryland," said Herbst.
Former U.S. President Barack Obama appointed
Herbst to her current role; the U.S. Senate confirmed her nomination in
2013. Leading a division of 300 employees with a budget of more than $270
million, Herbst oversees the department's $9 billion budget and 46,000
full-time employees. In that role, she is responsible for executing
policies and procedures related to: budget and financial management, strategic
planning and performance management, human resources management and civil
rights, employee safety and health, procurement and small business utilization,
grants management, travel and transportation, real property and facilities
management, directives management, and security.
She also serves as the department's Chief
Acquisition Officer, Chief Human Capital Officer, and Senior Accountable
Official for Security and Sustainability. Over the past four years, she has led
a multi-year renovation of the headquarters facility; served as a founding
member of the Government-wide Shared Services Governance Board and co-chair of
the Customer Council for the federal government.
Herbst previously served the Department of Commerce
from 2009 to 2012 as Senior Advisor to the Deputy Secretary, Recovery Act
Senior Accountable Official, and Performance Improvement Officer and from 2005
to 2009 as Director of the National Technical Information Service. Prior
to joining the department, she served as Vice President of Sales and Marketing
at Spectra Systems Corporation, Virtual Compliance, Inc and Giesecke &
Devrient America, Inc. From 1981 to 1996, she served as business manager
at the E.I. DuPont de Nemours and Company.
She earned her MBA from the Wharton School of
Business at the University of Pennsylvania in 1995 and a Bachelor of Science in
Economics and Accounting from the University of Delaware, Newark in 1979.
Over the course of his two decades at USM, Joe
Vivona has worked with three USM chancellors-Donald Langenberg, William E.
"Brit" Kirwan, and Caret - and served as interim chancellor in 2002.
"Thanks to Joe's expertise, oversight, and
management, the USM is strong financially and operationally," Caret said.
"Joe has guided the USM's budget successfully through periods of growth
and recession, and has helped the system earn exceptional bond ratings year
after year, while helping keep a quality college education affordable for
Maryland students."
"Since I joined the USM as chancellor, Joe and I
have worked closely on my initiatives to improve student performance and degree
completion rates, and sharpen the USM's role in advancing the state's economic
competitiveness and in better preparing students for the workforce," Caret
continued. "Joe is a great colleague and is deeply respected at every
institution across the system, throughout the business community and by our
partners in Annapolis. The entire state owes him a deep debt of gratitude
for his years of exemplary service to the USM and to the people of Maryland."
Contact: Mike Lurie
Phone: 301.445.2719
Email: mlurie@usmd.edu
