To: Knoxville-area Faculty and Staff
From: Chancellor Jimmy G. Cheek
Subject: Appointment of Vice Chancellor for Finance and Administration
I am pleased to inform you that I have named Chris Cimino as vice chancellor for finance and administration for the Knoxville campus.
Chris has been serving as assistant vice president for budgeting for the University of Tennessee system for the past two years. He will begin his new role on July 1.
With more than 12 years of university experience, Chris has an extensive knowledge of financial and management operations, policy development, budget planning, internal controls, and the many federal and state laws governing higher education.
The economic challenges facing our campus over the next several years will require the strategic vision, hard work and dedication of many people. He is well-qualified and enthusiastic about providing the leadership to advance the work that we’ve already started.
In his current role, Chris has been the main point of contact with all campus business officers, providing direction, interpretation of policy and procedures, and guidance on fiscal matters. He has analyzed and monitored student fee structures and played a key role in UT’s annual appropriation request to the Tennessee Higher Education Commission and the UT Board of Trustees. He has also provided staff support and serves as chair of the internal task force for the Effectiveness and Efficiency for the Future Committee, a Board of Trustees finance and administration subcommittee.
Chris began his career as an auditor for the state comptroller’s office before joining UT in 1997. Prior to his current role, he has served UT as a financial analyst and assistant director of finance for the Knoxville campus, and assistant director and director of finance for the UT system. A native of Nashville, he has a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Samford University and an MBA from UT Chattanooga.
We were fortunate to have two highly qualified applicants, and I appreciate everyone who has been involved in the process. I would like to thank committee chair Dan Murphy of the College of Business Administration for the work he and the committee members put into this process. Committee members for the search were Ann Robinson-Craig of the College of Arts and Sciences, Don Bruce of the Center for Business and Economic Research, Jill Keally of the UT Libraries, Jonee Lindstrom of the Budget and Finance Office, Judy Moore of the College of Engineering, Roger McDonald of Facilities Services, UT Police Chief Chief August Washington and Mike Wirth of the College of Communication and Information.
I also want to express my appreciation to Jeff Maples, senior associate vice chancellor for finance and administration, who has served on an interim basis since Denise Barlow retired on Jan. 31, 2009. Jeff and the finance and administration team have worked tirelessly to meet the daily demands of budget planning and preparing for the federal stimulus funds, and they should be commended for their work during this transition.