UNH Names Aaron Howell Executive Vice President for Finance and Administration

Aaron Howell, a seasoned financial leader with nearly 25 years of experience, will be the of New Hampshire's 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.

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

As executive vice president for finance and administration, Howell will oversee the university's $750 million budget, including over $200 million in competitive external research funding. A key partner in developing the Institution's financial strategy, Howell will join the university's 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.

"Aaron brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to this newly expanded role," said Michael J. Pilot, chair of the University of New Hampshire System Board of Trustees and UNH alumnus. "UNH needs a strong financial leader, and Aaron's dedication to collaboration along with a deep background in university finance make him an ideal person to join our team."

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

"Being on campus and meeting with President Chilton and the university's leadership, I immediately felt a strong connection to UNH," Howell said. "President Chilton's vision and what UNH 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.

"Aaron 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," said UNH's Vice President for Advancement Debbie Dutton, who chaired the search committee. "This bodes well for the work we need to do at UNH."