New vice president of finance and administration chosen

Jennifer Davis will begin her new position on March 4 (Photo courtesy of Jennifer Davis).

On Friday, January 4, President Ángel Cabrera announced Jennifer Davis as the new senior vice president for finance and administration at George Mason University.

“In this role, [Jennifer Davis] will be responsible for providing direction, oversight, and financial and operation management for the university that includes fiscal services; purchasing and accounts payable; budget and planning; campus police; auxiliary enterprises; transportation and parking services; human resources and payroll; facilities management; planning, financing and construction; and space management,” Cabrera wrote in an email  announcement.

Davis comes from the University of Delaware where she served as vice president for finance and administration, and will continue to work in finances and human resources as a vice president for Mason.

For Davis, what separates the two jobs is the university itself.

“It’s different in the sense that George Mason has three campuses, an international section, and it is more diverse in terms of its vision and the team itself,” Davis said in a phone interview.   

Her work at the University of Delaware equips Davis with a variety of qualifications to bring to Mason.

“In a nutshell my leadership skills and my strong background in finance and budget models and obviously my experience working with people which is, I believe, any organization’s most valuable asset,” Davis said.

Maurice Scherrens, who resigned in 2012 to serve as president of Newberry College, previously held the position.  Since his resignation, associate vice president and controller Beth Brock, vice president of facilities Tom Calhoun, and associate vice president for human resources Linda Harber have shared the responsibilities of the position. According to Brock, Harber covered human resources and emergency management and Calhoun was in charge of facilities, police and transportation. Brock stood in for financial affairs.

“The biggest thing for me is that I am looking forward to getting there and working with the faculty, the staff, the board, and the leadership team with Dr. Cabrera,” Davis said.  “George Mason is a dynamic, diverse, incredible organization. I am honored to be a part of such an incredible team.”

Davis will begin her new position on March 4.