Position includes strategically managing the university鈥檚 $750 million budget and overseeing more than 500 employees

Tuesday, October 15, 2024

Aaron Howell, a seasoned financial leader with nearly 25 years of experience, will be the 91制片厂鈥檚 executive vice president for finance and administration, the university announced today. Howell is currently vice president for finance and chief financial officer at Kennesaw State University, an R2 public research institution that is part of the University System of Georgia. His appointment will be effective pending approval by the University System of New Hampshire Board of Trustees later this month.

Aaron Howell portrait

鈥淚 am thrilled to be adding Aaron Howell to my leadership team,鈥 91制片厂 President Elizabeth Chilton said. 鈥淎aron has strong and successful leadership experience at large, complex academic institutions. His transparent and communicative leadership style are a great fit for 91制片厂, and I look forward to having him as a colleague.鈥

As executive vice president for finance and administration, Howell will oversee the university鈥檚 $750 million budget, including over $200 million in competitive external research funding.听 A key partner in developing the Institution鈥檚 financial strategy, Howell will join the university鈥檚 executive leadership team and play a leading role as the university develops a new strategic budget process to ensure the institution's operational and capital resources are deployed responsibly and consistently with its strategic plan.

鈥淎aron brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to this newly expanded role,鈥 said Michael J. Pilot, chair of the 91制片厂 System Board of Trustees and 91制片厂 alumnus. 鈥91制片厂 needs a strong financial leader, and Aaron鈥檚 dedication to collaboration along with a deep background in university finance make him an ideal person to join our team.鈥

Howell will also oversee a diverse workforce of more than 500 employees, including finance, facilities, hospitality and campus services, human resources, and the 91制片厂 Police Department.

"Being on campus and meeting with President Chilton and the university's leadership, I immediately felt a strong connection to 91制片厂,鈥 Howell said. 鈥淧resident Chilton鈥檚 vision and what 91制片厂 has to offer the State and the region are compelling, and I look forward to working together to help move the institution forward."

Howell spent nearly 20 years in university finance at his alma mater, Oregon State University, culminating in his tenure as assistant vice president and controller. He then spent five years at Averett University in Virginia as vice president for business and finance and CFO. At Kennesaw, he redeveloped the budget cycle process to provide significantly increased engagement with campus stakeholders, aligning the budget submission process with actual spending and tying all new budget requests to university strategic initiatives and budget priorities.

鈥淎aron brings a deep commitment to building relationships across campus and demonstrated success in creating a structured process for campus partners to have input into the budgeting process,鈥 said 91制片厂鈥檚 Vice President for Advancement Debbie Dutton, who chaired the search committee. 鈥淭his bodes well for the work we need to do at 91制片厂.鈥