Appointment of CFO and Vice Chancellor for Finance & Administration

I am delighted to announce the appointment of Mary Lou D. Ortiz as our next chief financial officer and vice chancellor for the Division of Finance and Administration. She has broad experience leading administrative and financial operations at public and private research universities, strengthening those operations to best support the needs of each institution’s core programs.

Ms. Ortiz is currently associate vice president for budget and university budget officer at Pennsylvania State University, serving as a senior member of the university’s financial leadership team and responsible for overseeing the University Budget Office and for the development and assessment of the university’s budget and resource allocation policies. She implements the university’s annual operating budget and takes budget responsibility for Penn State’s complex $7.7 billion organization with 24 campuses, leading discussions about maintaining affordability for Penn State students while continuing to innovate.

Prior to joining Penn State, Ms. Ortiz served as vice chancellor for finance and administration at Rutgers University-New Brunswick, providing financial and operational leadership to the university’s flagship campus and overseeing $1.7 billion in total resources. She is the former director for finance and resource administration of University Services for Princeton University and former director of planning and financial administration at Columbia University’s student health services.

Ortiz earned her Master of Business Administration, Master of Public Administration, and Bachelor of Arts degrees from Columbia University, and is a candidate for the Doctorate in Education in Penn State’s Higher Education program.

I am grateful to the search committee and its chair, Vice Chancellor of Information Technology and Data Tom Andriola, for their hard work in identifying and helping recruit such an outstanding financial and administrative leader. I am also grateful to Rick Coulon, who has so ably served as interim chief financial officer and vice chancellor.

Mary Lou D. Ortiz brings to UCI close to 30 years of outstanding experience in promoting financial stewardship, advancing the efficient use of resources, and collaborating with a wide range of stakeholders. We all look forward to her joining us on July 18.

Chancellor Howard Gillman