Message from the Vice President for Finance and Administration

It’s hard to summarize the depth and breadth of the work Division of Finance and Administration (DFA) units successfully undertook in fiscal year 2022 (July 2021-June 2022). That’s why, instead of a more traditional annual report, we’re offering links to the division’s quarterly news updates that describe the multitude of ways we’re working to advance OSU’s goals and support the success of students, faculty and staff. This page highlights the some of the significant work accomplished by DFA teams in FY22.

The main areas of focus for DFA teams have extended across the last couple of fiscal years: Developing Framework for Success. Expanding our approach to inclusive excellence through the development of a multi-year diversity, equity and inclusion action plan. Managing the university’s functional operations through the extended COVID-19 pandemic and planning OSU’s return to being fully in-person in fall 2022. The division also expanded our project portfolio management office during this time.

In FY22, DFA units worked to advance strategic priorities with a focus on building community and collaboration, as expressed in the division’s guiding principles. This year, my office started a couple of new programs intended to increase DFA employees’ sense of belonging and inclusion. The new DFA Hurray! system allows anyone in the OSU community to send a quick note of praise to a member of a DFA team (and their supervisor and unit leader) when they exceed expectations. We also started formally recognizing employees’ years of service anniversary at the division level with small gifts of appreciation after the first year and at five-year increments.

I am extraordinarily proud of the efforts, collaborations and successes of DFA teams, and the very hard work and dedication of our people. Read on and explore the quarterly reports to learn what DFA teams have been doing to support OSU’s people, environment, processes and spaces.

You can keep track of the division’s ongoing progress at the VPFA Updates page.

   
DFA Framework for Success

The Division of Finance and Administration’s Framework for Success is a comprehensive approach to supporting informed and transparent decision-making across the Division of Finance and Administration for the benefit of the university.

DFA units began full implementation of the Framework for Success in 2021. A major milestone was achieved in FY22, with the completion of 25 dashboards displaying 67 unit-level metrics across the division. To get there, teams worked through an 8-step implementation approach to develop metrics, and worked with Dr. Javier Calvo-Amodio and his researchers to map their metrics to the key performance indicators and DFA performance measures; identify key stakeholders; define metric threshold levels; and identify the ideal cadence and responsibility for updating the data and visualizations over time. A team of dashboard experts from DFA IT and other units came together to assist teams with data visualization design and helped gather feedback from DFA senior leaders. In FY23, units will track baseline metrics and make refinements.

You can track the development of the DFA Framework for Success through updates included in each of the FY22 quarterly updates.


    
DFA DEI Action Plan

The vice president launched a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Action Planning Workgroup in late 2021. The workgroup was charged with recommending a range of diversity, equity and inclusion actions that all DFA leaders, supervisors, teams and individual employees can take over the coming years to help ensure that the DFA creates and enhances a sense of belonging for division employees and the entire OSU community. The workgroup was staffed by volunteers from across the division with a desire to create positive change. In a FY22 update to the community, workgroup members shared some of the reasons they volunteered to contribute to this effort. At the end of FY22, the workgroup delivered a multi-year list of actions for implementation starting in 2023.


     
Covid-19 Response

As the COVID-19 pandemic continued over 2021 into 2022, DFA units conducted essential onsite work to keep students and faculty safe while they lived and worked on campus. DFA teams rapidly shifted to delivering services and managing operations in both hybrid and remote formats. In 2021, they prepared OSU buildings and locations for the return of in-person work after nearly a year of minimal use, and helped returning faculty and staff move back into their on-campus spaces.

Among the pandemic work conducted in FY22, University Human Resources developed COVID resources for supervisors, contributed to the evolution of OSU’s vaccination policy, expanded Employee Assistance Program benefits to help employees manage work-life concerns, and established a permanent flexible work arrangements policy.

During the pandemic, teams from University Facilities, Infrastructure and Operations partners prepared and maintained a healthy environment for students, faculty and staff. Environmental Health and Safety provided consultations and support to research labs and employees who continued to work on campus during the pandemic.EH&S also translated important technical information, like OR-OSHA and COVID-19 requirements, for the OSU Pathway to Fall planning guide. Insurance and Risk Management Services partnered with Student Health Services and the public universities’ insurance trust to allow student telemedicine to become a permanent option at OSU. 

With a return to a more occupied campus, teams like Employee Health and Safety (EH&S) prepared for a potential uptick in demand for services. EH&S responded to a higher-than-normal number of requests for lab moves and cleanouts, chemical moves, requests for indoor air quality evaluations and fire prevention questions. Additionally, EH&S translated important technical information, like OR-OSHA and COVID-19 requirements, for the Pathway to Fall planning guide for the university.

During winter 2022, Materials Management was commended for supporting OSU’s rapid response to the Omicron COVID resurgence, including distributing 400,000 N95 masks for use by students, faculty and staff across the state. 

Despite these increased demands on operations during the pandemic, DFA teams continued to support academic and research goals, as usual. In one FY22 example, the Landscape Shop partnered with the College of Agriculture by delivering a campus tour and lecture at the Integrated Pest Management Research and Extension Summit. 


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Enterprise Project Portfolio Management Office (EPPMO)

What do you think connects these disparate OSU projects? DFA Beaver Works. Smart Access Program. Performance Management Pilot. Non-Credit Learning Management System. Enterprise Service Management Program. Access OSU. Student Experience CRM. Elliott State Research Forest. Common Course Numbering. PacWave. They have all been managed by the Enterprise Project Portfolio Management Office (EPPMO). Initially established to support DFA projects including the Framework for Success, the EPPMO was expanded in FY22 to advance complex, often multi-year projects that are of strategic importance to the university. Partnering with University IT, the Research Office and colleges, the EPPMO manages OSU’s project portfolio, helping drive mission fulfillment while remaining responsive to rapid growth within and across the institution. It also provides project management resources and education to the OSU community. Each FY22 quarterly update includes a status report about the EPPMO’s active project roster. 

     
Caring About People

The DFA’s work impacts every person at OSU every day. Providing for the success of OSU’s community members—whatever their endeavors—is a main priority, and we strive to do it with respect, responsiveness and flexibility.

  • University Human Resources improved services to better support employees and and expand benefits and educational opportunities for employees and supervisors, all while promoting a culture of care across OSU.
  • Recognizing the tight housing markets in OSU’s region, University Human Resources expanded access to a range of housing resources, including new benefits that offer homebuying assistance.
  • UHR partnered with OSU IT and the Controller’s Office to conduct a performance management pilot focused on redesigning OSU’s employee evaluation system. Outcomes from the pilot program will inform a university-wide approach to evaluations that uses the best available tools, technologies and processes to improve communication between employees and supervisors. The pilot runs through FY2023
  • UHR expanded employee access to a broad range of on-demand training sessions via a new online learning library, available through my.oregonstate.edu

     
Community Safety

OSU’s people can reach their goals when they are part of a safe, supportive and inclusive community. It’s the role of DFA teams to provide for the safety and wellbeing of everyone at OSU.

  • Throughout FY22, the Department of Public Safety continued hiring, training and developing partnerships across OSU. In 2022, DPS collaborated with the Office of the Dean of Students to create OSU Assist, a mobile crisis-response team that provides compassionate services for students facing distress and mental health challenges.
  • DPS welcomed Cedar, a wellness dog who provides comfort, support and stress relief to Corvallis campus community members and the DPS team.
  • In the FY22 quarterly reports, you can find a number of updates from Insurance & Risk Management Services and Environmental Health & Safety about the many ways they keep the community safe, from preventing property losses, to promoting workplace safety to customizing solutions for OSU colleges and departments. In FY22, EH&S continued its focus on laboratory safety and expanded hazardous waste management services.

     
Leadership Resources

  • UHR added an updated Core Curriculum Workshop for Managers and Supervisors. Many UHR team members worked together to overhaul content for the full program. Find resources for OSU managers and supervisors at the UHR Learning and Organizational Development website.
  • University Human Resources’ Learning & Organizational Development team expanded access to Crucial Conversations training, offering subsidized registration fees for this workshop on fostering open dialogue around difficult topics. 

    
Caring for the Environment

We understand that to ensure the university’s future success, DFA teams must proactively and collaboratively steward current resources to generate innovative, sustainable long-term solutions that help address environmental concerns.

  • The statewide drought in summer 2021 led Facilities Services to adopt a range of measures to reduce water usage over the long term on the Corvallis campus, including installing low-flow plumbing fixtures and planting drought-resistant trees and shrubs.
  • Teams at Transportation Services started in 2019 to collect community input that informed OSU’s 2030 Sustainable Transportation Strategy. Progress was made across the plan’s 15 actions in FY22, including starting the design process for mobility hubs that will connect the Corvallis campus with regional public transportation options.
  • As it builds and renews campus infrastructure, Capital Planning and Facilities Services are developing forward-thinking approaches to supplying power and water to buildings. The Corvallis campus’ new North District Utility Plant, in service as of FY22, is the first step in a long-range plan to move OSU away from natural gas power generation.
  • Solar energy is an important part of OSU’s renewable energy approach. In FY22, rooftop solar arrays were installed at the Valley Library and the new Facilities Services building. OSU departments can contact the Sustainability Office to book the portable OSU solar trailer to power outdoor events.
  • Facilities Services’ Landscape Shop teamed up with the College of Forestry to plant a plot of aspen trees native to lowland Pacific areas. The trees are beautifying campus and serving as a research project to see if they are better adapted to local conditions than the mountain aspens more commonly available for planting.

    
Community Engagement

We know that sustainability solutions are most effective and long-lasting when they are generated with the community’s ideas and participation. That’s why DFA teams work hard to engage with people in clear, responsive and transparent ways. 

  • OSU’s Sustainability Office collaborates closely with Campus Recycling and the Community Engagement & Leadership program to lead efforts to integrate OSU’s sustainability goals into programs and operations across the university. 
  • Campus Recycling sponsors the Waste Watchers student club, whose mission is to engage the OSU community in reducing waste, providing opportunities for action and empowering future leaders. 
  • The Sustainability Office sponsors student Eco-Reps, responsible for encouraging a culture of sustainability in residence halls by conducting outreach, planning events and managing their hall's composting program. In FY22, the OSU Eco-Reps won first place in the Best Idea category at a Food Future Hackathon hosted by Arizona State University. 
  • At the end of each academic year, Materials Management partners with University Housing and Dining and other groups to host the Great Move Out for residence hall students. The event provides a pathway for discarded furniture and residential goods to be donated or recycled. At the beginning of FY22, Materials Management helped divert 8,500 pounds of items from going to local landfills. 

 

   

OSU's Path to Carbon Neutrality

DFA units coordinate and drive a range of efforts that collectively advance OSU’s goal to reduce its carbon footprint. We embrace innovative solutions, balanced with compliance needs and risk mitigation. 

  • In 2022, OSU approved its Path to Carbon Neutrality plan, which resulted from close collaboration between DFA units, the Faculty Senate Carbon Commitment Committee and OSU stakeholders. Review the plan to see how you can contribute. 

 

 

            
Operational Excellence

    
Financial Processes

DFA units collaboratively manage the university’s financial health so it can support today’s goals and strategic priorities while also providing for the needs of students and researchers into the future. Innovative solutions are balanced with active risk management processes.

  • The Budget and Resource Planning Office and other DFA units collaborated with OSU’s Impact Studio to develop a suite of tools to help college and department leaders with financial planning and decision-making. The University Financial Management (UFM) Suite provides a reliable, consistent set of essential data needed for operational forecasting, and to budget and manage spending, hiring, and enrollment. In 2022, the position reporting, budget metrics and enrollment modules were prepared for release to the community.
  • The Budget & Resource Planning Office conducted a review of the Corvallis Shared Responsibility Budget Model. Five workgroups assessed the elements and processes of the budget model, conducting stakeholder feedback sessions. Recommended technical changes to simplify the budget model will occur in FY23.
  • The Controller’s Unit debuted a redesigned Travel & Expense (T&E) Program that significantly updated a variety of systems and processes used by many OSU employees, including an expanded credit card program, a new software solution, a dedicated travel agency for OSU travelers, automated approvals and simplified expense reimbursements.
  • Insurance and Risk Management Services collaborated with CEOAS leadership and faculty to successfully finalize an insurance claim arising from an accidental fire in Burt Hall in November 2018. Renovation of the building was completed in winter 2020, but it took time to negotiate with insurance adjustors to cover costs for such things as replacement of damaged equipment and financial losses arising from the interruption in operations.

       
Personnel Processes

Through a variety of responsive policy updates, enhanced workforce planning tools and talent management systems improvements, University Human Resources, DFA IT and other units are collaborating to provide for OSU community members’ success and wellbeing.

  • As part of its package of talent management projects in FY22, UHR partnered with Faculty Affairs to develop a Managerial Competencies Framework; rollouts were piloted in the College of Agricultural Sciences and the Honors College. The Managerial Competencies Framework outlines the knowledge, skills and abilities that OSU’s supervisors and managers should hold at different levels in the organization. Managers learn how to apply the five specific competencies with a diversity, equity and inclusion lens, so they can most effectively manage and lead people within their units. 
  • In FY22, University Human Resources created a team to administer critical compliance processes, including background checks for people in the hiring process. The UHR team overhauled OSU’s background check policy and streamlined the process. When the new program is fully implemented in January 2023, background checks will be conducted more rapidly, reducing the gap between when a new employee accepts a job offer and when they can start working. The background check program affirms OSU’s commitment to the safety and security of people in our community. 
  • During FY22, University Human Resources moved away from the Business Center structure and realigned its organization to operate with three major groups. HR Strategic Partners now serve as a single point of contact for OSU leaders. They consult on application of HR programs, support colleges and units with resource planning, and provide employee relations support. HR Centers of Expertise provide policy direction and analysis related to employee benefits, labor relations and compensation. And the HR Service Center handles functional work related to recruiting, onboarding, job changes, student employment and other personnel matters.  

    
Administrative Processes

As reported in the FY22 quarterly updates, DFA units continue long-term efforts to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of processes and systems. With a focus on achieving inclusive excellence, DFA units generate better results for the benefit of the OSU community.

  • Insurance & Risk Management Services worked with the Research Office and other departments to create a risk pool to respond to uninsured losses in commercially-funded research. To fund the risk pool, OSU sets aside money collected through the indirect cost rate for industry sponsored research and other industry sponsored activities, which pays for uninsured losses in these specific spaces. The risk pool is a collaborative approach that helps protect OSU from uninsured losses like non-payment, allegations of breach of contract, a peril or risk that is excluded from an insurance policy, and uninsured indemnity provisions.
  • Procurement, Contracts and Materials Management (PCMM) worked with the vice president for finance and administration to address Moving Forward Together recommendations about vendor relationships (Actions 35 and 36) that emerged from the President and Provost’s Leadership Council for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.
  • University Human Resources and Insurance & Risk Management Services teamed up with Ship Operations to support the Academic Research Fleet crew during the transitional period between decommissioning the Research Vessel (R/V) Oceanus from research cruises and the acceptance of the new R/V Taani. The innovative solution allowed OSU to retain qualified mariners on staff, and they were able to continue working aboard different vessels in the Academic Research Fleet via a crew exchange program with other institutions.
  • Controller’s Unit transitioned its organization to an administrative partnership model that moved OSU away from its Business Center approach. Instead, colleges and departments now interact with a single person, their dedicated Financial Strategic Partner, and functional support is performed by teams within the Controller’s Unit.

   
Building our Future

DFA units continually build and restore OSU’s physical spaces and infrastructure in ways that satisfy academic and research needs, improve efficiency and increase people’s satisfaction, while honoring OSU’s history and helping ensure the university’s long-term success.  

  • FY22, the newly-opened Gladys Valley Marine Studies Building at the Hatfield Marine Science Center was selected by the American Council of Engineering Companies to receive a 2021 Grand Award for its innovative design. A variety of innovative structural engineering methods were used to design a teaching, research and outreach facility that can safely withstand a a 9.0 magnitude earthquake and corresponding tsunami and also provides vertical evacuation in the event of a tsunami for more than 900 people. 
  • DFA units collaborated to construct a new 50,000 square foot academic building, Edward J. Ray Hall, which was completed on the OSU-Cascades campus in FY22. The new space was constructed with sustainably-harvested cross-laminated timber; meets net-zero energy, water and waste goals; is powered by geothermal energy; and includes artwork by Pacific Northwest artists. 
  • The complete renovation of Fairbanks Hall, one of the most historic and enduring buildings on the Corvallis campus, was started in 2019. Fairbanks reopened for use in fall 2022. The project restored the historical glory of this 26,000 square foot building dating from 1892, modernizing it with a new east porch, a new roof, accessibility upgrades to the building entrance, and the installation of an elevator.
  • In spring 2022, the Cordley Hall Renewal Project reached an important milestone in the four-year renovation process. After two years of being under construction, the west side of Cordley reopened for occupancy. Cordley Hall, built in the late 1950s and early 1960s, is a 235,914 square foot research and education building housing the departments of Integrative Biology and Botany and Plant Pathology. The North District Utility Plant was constructed as part of this project, providing efficient water chiller capacity (required for research-intensive buildings) for Cordley and other buildings in the area. Renovation work on Cordley’s east side started in summer 2022 and is expected to be completed in summer 2024.
  • The Completing Reser project got underway in January 2022. The first step of transforming OSU’s Reser Stadium into a national best-in-class football facility was the demolition of the aged Westside Grandstands, which was last updated in 1991. Capital Planning & Development collaboratively planned a successful and safe implosion of the grandstands with Intercollegiate Athletics and stakeholders from across OSU and the Corvallis community. The renovated stadium will have year-round programs and facilities for all OSU students, faculty and staff.  

    
Supporting Learning & Research

With structured and inclusive decision-making processes, DFA units manage OSU’s spaces in support of academic and research goals and its strategic plan. We seek to balance consistent processes with flexibility and innovative solutions to the community’s needs.

  • DFA units have a responsibility to plan for OSU’s long-term success and ability to invest in strategic priorities. That’s why it developed a regularly-updated Ten-Year Business Forecast that is intended to identify long-term trends in the university’s finances that support or jeopardize achievement of OSU’s collective goals. The forecast provides a look far enough ahead to take corrective action or to plan for additional investments, and to carefully consider the long-term impacts of current programmatic and financial decisions. The forecast considers enrollment projections; tuition rates and institutional financial aid; projections of state funding; expense projections for inflation, benefits, salaries, and costs of enrollment growth; and new construction, renovation, and repairs along with associated operating and debt costs. The Ten-Year Forecast is a decision-making tool for university leaders. Annual updates are presented to the Board of Trustees.  
  • The DFA’s Space Management team provides effective stewardship of Oregon State's locations by managing space requests, facilitating the annual OSU Space Survey, supporting campus moves coordination and providing accurate and timely space allocation and utilization data reports. In FY22, the team adopted new space management software that enables improved space utilization and help units better understand and prioritize the ways they allocate space. 
  • In FY22, the DFA’s Office of Leasing and Strategic Real Property Management supported OSU’s Marine Studies Initiative (MSI) by facilitating and completing the closing of a gift of the Port Orford Field Station property to OSU. The 0.13 acre parcel gift includes three buildings and was donated by the Port Orford Ocean Resource Team, a locally-based non-governmental organization. Both before and after the property donation, OSU’s Port Orford Field Station operates as part of the MSI mission, serving as a hub supporting student learning, scientific research, community priorities, and economic opportunities. The Real Property Management Office conducted due diligence, addressing deed restriction language; environmental, property and geotechnical assessments; survey and title review; financial pro forma; a tsunami evacuation plan; and the transfer of an existing lease.  

 

   

Increasing Access

As we construct and renovate academic, research and community spaces, DFA units help build OSU’s culture of belonging, collaboration and innovation by removing physical barriers and expanding access to all areas of the university. 

  • Completed in fall 2022, the Community Hall Slope Project increased access to a core area of the Corvallis campus. Pathways were updated to meet Americans with Disabilities Act standards and building entrances to the Gladys Valley Gymnastic Center, Pharmacy Building and Furman Hall were renovated.
  • Early in FY22, the old facilities shops at 15th and Washington were demolished in an impressively quick and neat job. The shops buildings had outlived their useful life and were a bit of an eyesore in what had become, over the years, a central part of the Corvallis campus. Facilities Services moved to the Western Complex at 35th Street and freed up space for OSU’s new Arts and Education Complex, under construction in FY22, to serve as a highly visible entrance to campus, emphasizing the university’s commitment to the arts and to a culture of creativity. The 49,000-square-foot space will be a center for performing arts classes, programs and performances on the Corvallis campus, integrating programs in music, theater and the visual arts. In addition to its campus role, the Arts and Education Complex will be a statewide portal to the arts, enabling collaboration with public school systems throughout the state and ensuring that all Oregonians have better access and exposure to the arts. 

    
Awards and Recognition

The 2021 DFA Annual Awards and Meeting took place virtually on August 5, 2021. Keynote speakers included Becky Johnson, Interim University President and Ed Feser, Provost and Executive Vice President. A video of the event can be found here. The following awards were presented at the event.

2021 Outstanding Student Award goes to individuals that demonstrate dependability and a commitment to excellence in achieving unit goals, while seeking to apply DFA guiding principles in daily work.
Yvette Smith, Capital Planning and Development
Hannelore Wrathz, Insurance and Risk Management Services

2021 Customer Service Award acknowledges staff members who consistently provide outstanding customer service with personalized interactions.
Rob Schellenger, Health Sciences Business Center

2021 Innovation Award goes to individuals that demonstrate an outstanding ability to explore creative, flexible and innovative solutions to work issues and problems. Consistently develops and implements creative problem-solving approaches.
Natasha Gaspar, Agricultural & Marine Sciences Business Center

2021 Leadership Award goes to individuals that shows commitment to the DFA guiding principles and key activities, displays a high degree of integrity in supporting the organization, and offers support, motivation and guidance to colleagues.
April Cummings, Agricultural & Marine Sciences Business Center

2021 DFA All Star Award goes to an exemplary employee whose actions or achievements transcend the other award categories. The nominee demonstrates outstanding commitment to the DFA Framework for Success guiding principles and models the application of OSU’s shared values
Maureen Clark, Facilities Services

2021 Teamwork/Collaboration Award goes to colleagues that demonstrate an outstanding ability for a group of individuals to work collaboratively to complete a task, goal or project. This can be within a unit or across units that are not in the same department. The group incorporates DFA guiding principles in their work and considers the impact of any process changes on affected units and the broader OSU community.
The Travel Redesign Project Team: RaeLee Aguilar, Ashley Brown, April Cummings, Stephanie Pearse, Rachel Peterson, Rob Shellenger, Alex Sims, Stephanie Smith

 


About the Division

The Division of Finance and Administration (DFA) enables the university's mission by being a trusted, innovative and collaborative partner that builds and delivers programs connecting every member of the OSU community to resources, people, environments and systems that are vital to excel and succeed.

The DFA comprises 10 distinct units and over 600 employees. Vice President for Finance and Administration and Chief Financial Officer Mike Green works closely with the president and provost as he provides leadership, oversight, and stewardship for all aspects of the university's administrative functions and services, and an annual budget of over $1.6 billion. DFA leaders collaborate across the university to ensure that OSU’s resources, infrastructure and services are aligned with the university’s teaching, research and engagement mission. 

The following is a brief update about some of the leadership team changes that occurred in FY22.

Aracely Arredondo was named as the Associate Director of Financial Strategic Services for Administrative Units in May and will continue to provide leadership to the financial team serving administrative units. Aracely joined OSU in 2016 and has held various accounting and finance positions in the Controller’s Unit during that time. She holds a BA from Western Oregon University and an MBA from Willamette University.

Erica Dodson became the Associate Director of Financial Strategic Services for Student Service Units in Mark and will continue to provide leadership to the financial team serving student support units. Erica first came to OSU in 2011 and has held various accounting and finance positions in the Controller’s Unit during that time. She holds a BBA from Washington State University and an MBA from George Fox University.

Tom Fenske stepped into the role of Director of Financial Strategic Services in March. This position will provides oversight for the financial teams supporting the colleges. Tom has worked at OSU since 2004 and most recently served as the Business Center Manager of the HSBC. He holds a BS from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and an MBA from Oregon State University.

Heather Horn was selected in August as OSU’s chief human resources officer following a national search. Prior to that, Heather served as interim CHRO starting in May. Heather formerly served at OSU as an associate vice provost and the assistant vice president for HR strategic partnerships and Employee & Labor Relations. Heather received a Master of Human Resources and Industrial Relations degree in 2003 from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a Certificate of Entrepreneurship & Management from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2010. Prior to joining OSU, she worked at her alma mater as an associate director of labor and employee relations. 

Stephen Nelson joined OSU in fall 2021 as the university’s new Chief Procurement Officer. Stephen brings broad and diverse experience, and a client service mindset into this role. With 15 years of procurement and contracting experience in both the private and public sectors, Stephen promotes a focus on diversity and equity that is helping diversify OSU’s vendor community. Stephen holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration with a finance concentration from the University of Oregon, and a Master’s in Business Administration from NW Christian University (Bushnell), where he was inducted into the Sigma Beta Delta International Honor Society for Business, Management and Administration. Stephen earned certifications from the Association for Supply Chain Management (ASCM/APICS), the Universal Public Procurement Certification Council, and the Institute for Public Procurement (NIGP) in procurement and operations management. He has served on the boards of ASCM/APICS, the NIGP Columbia Chapter, and currently sits on the board for Oregon Public Purchasing Association.  

Mike Mandzuk became OSU’s Director Compensation and HR Data Analytics in winter 2022. Mike joined OSU from Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas, where he enjoyed a 21-year career, most recently as Executive Director of Compensation and Employee Records. He served in increasingly responsible leadership roles across compensation and classification, compensation analysis and program design, HR Information Systems, HR records, data and reporting, and HR system implementations. Mike is working from the Corvallis campus as he leads the university’s Classification & Compensation and HR Data teams. He holds a B.S. in Psychology from the University of Houston and an M.A. in Industrial/Organizational Psychology from St. Mary’s University in San Antonio.

Libby Ramirez, University Architect and Director of Capital Resources, was appointed in February 2022 as interim director of capital project delivery, following Lori Fulton's retirement. Libby will continue her work as university architect and director of capital resources while serving in this role, as a national search is conducted. of capital project delivery. As director of capital resources, Libby oversees Space Management and University Land Use Planning while providing expertise in facilities planning and design, space programming, space allocation and capital project planning. During her career at OSU since 2015, Libby has overseen the construction of the OSU Portland Center, the Forest Science Complex, and the recent implosion of the west side of Reser Stadium as part of the Completing Reser Stadium project. 

Brittany McDonald was appointed to interim associate director for HR Operations. While serving in this role, Brittany will continue to supervise the Student Employment Team. The Interim Associate Director position has a systems focus and will be responsible for the oversight and management of processes and systems used to deliver exceptional customer service. The position will also take a lead role in the optimization of current ticket system functionality to support immediate needs while leading efforts on behalf of HR operations to adopt and implement an enterprise-wide service methodology and system.  

Andy Cadotte joined DFA IT in February as part-time interim director of technical solutions architecture. Andy oversees the day-to-day work of the technical solution team, which determines the design and function of DFA’s technology systems, and provides support and consultation. Andy currently works a split appointment with Student Health Services, where he is the Information Technology manager.

Melanie Rose was named manager of strategic initiatives for the division early in FY22, responsible for assisting the vice president and senior leadership team with advancing the division’s goals via planning, logistics and division-wide communication. She collaborates across the OSU community to coordinate DFA work within OSU’s system of shared governance. Melanie joined OSU in 2011 and previously served as both special assistant and executive assistant to the vice president for finance and administration. She holds a BA in speech communication from Oregon State University, with minors in writing and Spanish.

Andrea McDaniel was appointed executive assistant to the vice president for finance and administration in fall 2021. She manages the vice president’s office and schedule, plans and executes division-wide events, and serves as a coordinator of division-wide information and processes for the senior leadership team. Andrea has more than 20 years of experience supporting executives in the private sector and in higher education. She joined OSU in 2002, and prior to joining the Division of Finance and Administration, she supported OSU's Provost and Executive Vice President. She holds a BS in Animal Science from Oregon State University. 

Mealoha McFadden joined the division as Executive Assistant for the Office of Budget and Resource Planning in April. Mealoha is a third-generation Beaver who previously worked as an events coordinator with the University Events team since 2014. Mealoha holds a bachelor’s degree in Political Science and is excited to put her administrative support experience to work in the Budget Office. 

Jeannine Cropley joined University Human Resources in June 2022 as Executive Assistant to Heather Horn, Chief Human Resources Officer. Jeannine has been employed by OSU for 11 years and has been supporting Heather for almost four years. Prior to coming to OSU, Jeannine was an IT project manager in a variety of industries, including high-tech, non-profits, state and county governments, K-12 and community colleges. She holds a BA in Organizational Leadership from George Fox University.

Tarron Anderson joined the team in March as the division’s Human Resources Strategic Partner. Tarron came to the division from the Office of Equal Opportunity and Access, where he was an equity associate He holds both a Master’s in Business Administration and a law degree, and previously worked at the State of Oregon’s Bureau of Labor and Industry. 

Christina McKnight was named chair of the named Public Universities Risk Management and Insurance Trust (PURMIT) in January. Each member of PURMIT, which includes the six four-year public universities in Oregon, has a board representative. Christina McKnight, OSU’s Director of Insurance and Risk Management Services has served on the PURMIT Board of Trustees since November 2018.  

For more information about the Division of Finance and Administration, please contact the VPFA Office