Dear Colleagues:

I am pleased to announce the appointment of Geoffrey Chatas as the executive vice president and chief financial officer of the University of Michigan. He will begin Oct. 1 and lead U-M’s Business and Finance organizations, including the Office of Investments, Finance, Facilities and Operations, University Human Resources and the Shared Services Center.

He joins us from Georgetown University, where he has served as the senior vice president and chief operating officer since 2018.

At Georgetown, he oversees a $1.3 billion budget and leads an organization with more than 3,000 staff members in areas that include finance, the endowment investment office, facilities management, information technology, human resources, the chief health officer, corporate partnerships, and auxiliary services.  From 2010 to 2018, Mr. Chatas was the senior vice president for business and finance and chief financial officer for Ohio State University.

Before his career in higher education, he served as managing director for the Infrastructure Investment Fund at JP Morgan Asset Management and worked in various finance roles at Progress Energy, Inc., American Electric Power, Banc One Capital Corporation, and Citibank.

Mr. Chatas grew up in Ann Arbor and earned a bachelor’s degree in history and economics from Georgetown, an MPhil from Oxford University in history and an MBA from INSEAD.  His many volunteer and professional service activities include co-chairing the Georgetown Community Partnership, serving on the board of directors of the Worker Rights Consortium and teaching finance at OSU.

I am thrilled that Mr. Chatas has decided to return to Ann Arbor to lead our Business and Finance organization and advise the board and me as we meet the continued challenges of providing opportunities to our students and supporting our work on society’s most pressing problems.  His depth of experience and proven skills make him ideally suited for the responsibilities of executive vice president and chief financial officer.

More information is available in the University Record.

I thank the faculty, staff and alumna of the search advisory committee, including chair Vice President for Information Technology and CIO Ravi Pendse, for their outstanding work during a successful and highly competitive search, along with the many members of our community who provided input that informed our search process. Our Board of Regents was highly engaged in this search, and I very much appreciate their advice and commitment to our university and its mission.

I also thank interim Executive Vice President and CFO Brian Smith, who continues to serve our university and students with tremendous dedication. Brian retained his duties as associate vice president for finance while serving as interim CFO. He has helped to position our campus for success amid the challenges of a global pandemic, and his strong leadership will ensure a smooth transition in Business and Finance.

Please join me in welcoming Geoffrey Chatas to the University of Michigan.

Sincerely,

Mark S. Schlissel
President