DU Appoints Leslie Brunelli Senior Vice Chancellor for Finance and Treasurer

From: Chancellor Rebecca Chopp

I am delighted to share the news that DU has appointed Leslie Brunelli as our new senior vice chancellor for finance and treasurer effective June 1, 2019.

Leslie joins DU from the University of South Carolina, where she has been serving as vice president for finance and chief financial officer since 2014. In this position, she coordinates the day-to-day and long-term planning of the financial operations of USC’s flagship Columbia campus and the UofSC System. Her previous positions at USC include associate vice president for business and finance, university budget director, and director of business and human resources for regional campuses and continuing education.

In her role as senior vice chancellor for finance and treasurer at DU, Brunelli will be a critical and strategic partner to the provost and me as we develop and implement financial policy in direct support of our mission and strategic plan. Leslie will be the primary communicator of fiscal affairs to me, senior leadership the Board of Trustees and other internal and external stakeholders. As a key member of my senior staff, she will work closely with leadership to develop operational policies and deliver the resources, services and facilities necessary for the continued advancement of the University. She will be responsible for the controller’s office, shared services, environmental health and safety, campus safety, student financial services, facilities planning and management, and risk management.

In addition to exceptional fiscal stewardship, Brunelli’s areas of expertise include forecasting and modeling financial scenarios and fiscal impact projections. She has also provided mentoring to women through a number of educational organizations. She is a longstanding and active participant in the National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO). She earned her BA and a master’s in business administration at the University of South Carolina.

Leslie steps into the role currently held by Craig Woody, longtime senior vice chancellor for business and financial affairs, who is retiring from the University after 35 years of service. Craig joined the DU community in 1984 as controller and rose to his current post in 1995. As a member of the University’s senior leadership team, Craig has played a vital role in the rejuvenation of campus infrastructure. He navigated the 2007–08 financial crisis and created the impressive fiscal profile the University enjoys today. Craig will always be a special friend of the university and we wish him the best.

I would like to extend a special thanks for their excellent work to the members of the search committee:

KC Gallagher, Committee Co-Chair, Trustee
Jeremy Haefner, Committee Co-Chair, Provost & Executive Vice Chancellor
Armin Afsahi, Vice Chancellor for Advancement
Katherine Archuleta, Trustee
Conrad Ciccotello, Professor, Reiman School of Finance, Daniels College of Business
Deb DeHaas, Trustee
Navin Dimond, Trustee
Mary Rhinehart, Trustee
Karen Riley, Dean of the Morgridge College of Education
Margareta Stefanovic, Associate Professor, Department of Engineering & Computer Science
Kate Willink, Assistant Professor, Department of Human Communication Studies

Leslie, her husband, John, and daughter, Lucy, will relocate to Denver in early summer. Please join me in warmly welcoming their family to our DU community.

Best,

Rebecca Chopp