Jeff DeWitt to become KU chief financial officer

Colleagues,

I am writing to announce the newest member of our senior leadership team.

Jeff DeWitt, a seasoned financial administrator with more than 30 years of experience in complex public sector roles, will join the University of Kansas as our new chief financial officer & executive vice chancellor for finance.

Jeff currently serves as the chief financial officer for the District of Columbia, where he is responsible for a $16.9 billion annual budget and a six-year capital improvement program of $8.2 billion. In this role, he oversees 1,700 staff spanning functions such as tax and revenue administration, investments, financial reporting, accounting, legislative review, internal audit and risk management. His responsibilities include oversight of CFOs for the University of the District of Columbia, the United Medical Center Hospital, the Washington Convention Center and Sports Authority, and all District agencies, including public and charter schools.

Prior to his role with the District of Columbia, Jeff served as CFO for the City of Phoenix, Arizona, from 2009-2013. Before that, he held various roles with the City, worked as a research associate for an Illinois-based consulting firm, and served in the U.S. Army domestically and in Germany.

Our search for this position presented some tremendously talented candidates, which speaks volumes of the University of Kansas and the great work each of you is doing. Jeff stood out among this crowded pool of excellent applicants, and I am delighted he will be joining us.

The chief financial officer & executive vice chancellor for finance is the University of Kansas’ university-wide chief financial officer. In this role, Jeff will report directly to me and be my chief advisor on all finance and business matters. As a key member of our leadership team, Jeff will have broad responsibility for the finance and business dimensions of the university across all campuses.

The retirement of long-time CFO Diane Goddard in December presented us the opportunity to evaluate the position and assess whether it needed to be adjusted to fit our needs. As you know from previous campus communications, we have already begun to make some important changes to our finance and administration structure that better reflect our current challenges and opportunities. We look forward to Jeff’s leadership in helping us continue to enhance our financial process and practices.

Please join me in congratulating Jeff on his new role and welcoming him to KU.

Respectfully,

Doug

Douglas A. Girod
Chancellor