UConn Names New Chief Financial Officer

Dear Colleagues,

I'm pleased to announce that following a national search, I have appointed Anthony Rini as UConn's new chief financial officer.

Anthony has more than two decades of experience in senior leadership roles at both public and private institutions of higher education. Most recently, he served as the chief operating officer and, earlier, as the vice president for administration and financial planning at Northeastern University in Boston.

As COO, he led human resources, facilities management, campus planning and real estate and financial planning and budgeting, managing that institution's $2.7 billion operating budget across a global university system of 14 campuses.

Working in partnership with the president, provost, senior vice president for finance and treasurer, and the deans, he provided strategic and operational guidance on university-wide initiatives including multi-year budgeting, the institutional long-range plan, the capital master plan, campus and new program expansion, information technology, and talent management.

In a previous role as vice president for finance at Northeastern, Anthony co-led the financial functions of the university. He also served as senior vice provost for budget, planning, and administration.

During his time at Northeastern, he:

• Presented annual operating and capital budgets and the five-year long-range plan to the Board of Trustees for approval, and provided regular updates on budget projections and large capital project progress.
• Led the financial aspects of the university's five-year long-range plan, which included adding over 200 new incremental tenure-line faculty, four new science buildings, and additional student housing.
• Partnered with senior vice presidents and deans to align department and college academic plans with the university's long-range plan.
• Implemented a new university budget system, including addressing staffing matrix and data reporting.
• Developed and managed annual capital and deferred maintenance budgets.
• Managed revenue-generating activities including real estate, parking, dining, conference centers, and the campus bookstore.
• Served as a key advisor in negotiating union contracts and managing labor relations issues.

Earlier in his career, Anthony served as the executive director of academic financial affairs in the Office of the Executive Vice Chancellor/Provost at the City University of New York, and as an assistant dean for finance, administration, and planning at New York University.

As pressure from federal and state governments continues to mount, our financial stability faces increasing risks. The nature of these challenges suggests that merely making incremental adjustments won't be enough; we need to rethink and reshape our approach by focusing on coherent strategies across four key areas: strategic direction, funding model, operating model, and enablers.

Anthony will play a pivotal role in collaborating with the Board of Trustees, university leaders, and faculty to explore funding sources and an operating model that will pave the way for our success.

It was clear during the interview process that Anthony has a deep commitment to collaboration, accountability, and operational success in support of an academic enterprise and in stewarding institutional resources in ways that enable access, innovation, and impact. His experience navigating complex, matrixed environments - combined with a proven ability to execute at both strategic and operational levels - makes him very well-positioned to serve the University of Connecticut at this time of great opportunity and change.

At UConn, Procurement, Budget and Planning, and Financial Operations and Controller will report to Anthony.

I would like to thank Reka Wrynn, who has served very effectively as interim vice president for finance for the last year and continues to do an outstanding job leading our Budget Transformation Initiative. Her contributions have been invaluable.

I would also like to thank the members of the search committee, which was chaired by Vice President for Student Life and Enrollment Nathan Fuerst and included Athletic Director David Benedict; Bob Day, chair of the Senate Executive Committee of the University Senate; Interim Vice President for Research Lindsay DiStefano; Chief of Staff Phil Hunt; Eric Kruger, Vice President for Facilities and University Planning; Dan Schwartz, Vice Provost for Academic Operations; Janel Simpson, Chief Administrative Officer at UConn Health; and Amy Yancey, president of the UConn Foundation.

Anthony will begin at UConn on April 27.

Sincerely,

Radenka Maric

UConn President