Dear Campus Community:

I write to announce the launch of a national search for the Vice Chancellor for Finance and Administration & Chief Financial Officer (VCFA&CFO) at UC Riverside, the position currently known as the Vice Chancellor for Planning, Budget, and Administration. The search officially launched on Monday, January 26, and we are encouraging prospective candidates to submit their materials no later than 11:59 p.m. (PST) on March 01, 2026. 

The campus has retained Opus Partners, a national executive search firm with experience placing senior leaders at research universities, liberal arts colleges, academic medical centers, research institutes, and nonprofit organizations. Screening of complete applications will begin immediately and continue until the completion of the search process. Candidates will be recruited over the coming months, and we plan to conduct finalist interviews in early April. 

As a valued member of our campus community, we encourage you to participate in the process by offering feedback and submitting nominations of individuals who may be well-suited for this opportunity. Nominations and inquiries can be directed, confidentially, to Thomas Lapierre (Thomas.lapierre@opuspartners.net) at Opus Partners.   

I also want to take this opportunity to thank the members of the Search Advisory Committee, listed below, and especially Elizabeth Watkins, Provost & Executive Vice Chancellor, for serving as Chair.

Elizabeth Watkins, Provost & Executive Vice Chancellor (Chair)

Ryan Choi, Vice President of Finance, ASUCR

Anna Kafie, Chief Financial & Administrative Officer, SOB

Christopher Lynch, Dean, Bourns College of Engineering

Paige Mejia, Financial Operations Manager

Jacqueline Norman, Associate Vice Chancellor, Campus Architect 

Jennifer Nuckles, UCR Board of Trustees

David Oglesby, Professor and Planning & Budget Chair of the Academic Senate

Mary Lou Ortiz, Chief Financial Officer & Vice Chancellor, Finance and Administration, UCI

Heidi Scribner, Associate Vice Chancellor, Auxiliary Services

Veronica Ruiz, Chief Financial & Administrative Officer, ASSET (Compliance Liaison)

Cindy Williams, Chief Financial & Administrative Officer, CHASS

Your willingness to provide feedback, along with input from other campus constituents and the search committee, helps to shape the overall picture and ideal candidate characteristics for this vital campus leadership position.

For questions regarding the search, please contact our search partners at Opus Partners. You may also reach out to Tanya Adams, Director of Human Resources & Executive Search, at tanya.adams@ucr.edu.