February 15, 2013
AMHERST, Mass. – Kevin Weinman, Dartmouth College’s assistant vice president of finance, has been selected to be Amherst College’s chief financial officer, the first in the college’s history, beginning May 1, Amherst President Biddy Martin announced today.
“I am delighted to have Kevin join the college, and I thank Suzanne Coffey and other search committee members for their great work," Martin said. “Kevin’s creativity and thoughtfulness, along with his expertise in financial management and strategic planning, will be of critical importance to us. His skills, his experience and his academic interests are well-suited to Amherst and will help us pursue our mission while ensuring our long-term financial viability.”
Weinman, whose professional background includes service in the higher education and business sectors, said he was thrilled to be joining the college.
“Amherst’s reputation for excellence is of course part of the appeal, but so is the energy that Biddy brings to the institution, as well as the college’s highly regarded faculty and students,” Weinman said. “To be part of a world class liberal arts institution like Amherst and to use my skills to help the college achieve its mission is incredibly appealing to me.”
Weinman, a native of Queens, N.Y., who grew up in northern New Jersey, majored in accounting and history at the University of Notre Dame, received an M.B.A. from the University of North Carolina, an M.A. in history from the University of Colorado and is nearing completion of his doctoral dissertation in history, about the suburbanization of Denver, from the University of New Hampshire. His professional background includes accounting and financial management positions at Arthur Andersen LLP, Agilent Technologies,, Deluxe Corp. and Western Union. He joined Dartmouth as its Director of Financial Planning & Budget in 2007 and was named assistant vice president of finance there in 2010. He and his wife Beth, have two children, a son Alex, 11, and a daughter, Brooke, 8.
Amherst College Athletic Director Suzanne Coffey, who headed the search committee that has spent the last several months reviewing what she called a “very robust” field of candidates, said Weinman’s personality and background made him the best fit for Amherst. In addition to Coffey, the search committee included Sarah Barr, director of academic engagement programs; Mauricia Geissler, chief investment officer; Lyle McGeoch, computer science professor; and Beth Yarbrough, economics professor. The firm of Isaacson Miller aided in the search.
“Kevin has the depth and breadth of experience that we were looking for, but we also were very impressed with how he viewed his role in finance as being in service of others to help them achieve their goals, while also thinking about meeting the college’s financial needs,” Coffey said. “He’s very strong in analysis and presentation, and in his ability to educate others about financial models. He did that at Dartmouth, where he was very highly regarded, and he absolutely will do that here.”
Weinman observed that his experience at Dartmouth, in the areas of budgeting, financial planning, strategic planning, analysis and financial reporting, occurred against the backdrop of an economic downturn that has challenged all of higher education, including Amherst.
“The downturn has emphasized how very important it is for even the wealthiest of colleges to ensure that resources are directed toward the student experience and the classroom experience, and that we be extremely careful in taking on additional expenses,” he said. “The ability to achieve and maintain excellence in an era when the growth of key revenue sources such as net tuition and endowment may well be challenged will be a separating factor for successful institutions.”
Despite those challenges, Weinman said he is optimistic about Amherst’s future and excited for the opportunity to the serve the college, the president and its trustees.
“The incredible quality of education that Amherst provides to its students is clearly in very high demand,” he said. “I look forward to helping connect Amherst’s lofty ambitions with financial resources to further enhance its excellence.”
About Amherst College
Founded in 1821, Amherst is a highly selective, coeducational liberal arts college with 1,800 students from most of the 50 states and more than 30 other countries. Considered one of the nation’s best educational institutions, Amherst awards the B.A. degree in 37 fields of study. Sixty percent of Amherst students receive need-based financial aid.
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