Search for Two New Vice Presidents Begins

Marist looks to fill roles of CFO and Vice President for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.

Marist College President Kevin C. Weinman. Credit: Marist on Instagram

Marist College is looking for two new vice presidents to serve alongside new President Kevin C. Weinman. The search for the next Vice President for Business Affairs/Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and the inaugural Vice President for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion will begin immediately, Weinman announced in an email to the Marist community.

John Pecchia stepped down on Nov. 8, after 11 years as Vice President for Business Affairs/CFO. Beth Veasey, Associate Vice President for Financial Planning & Analysis, will fill the position on an interim basis.

Marist will look nationwide for its next CFO, led by a search committee chaired by Geoff Brackett, Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy and Innovation Officer. The committee is made up of various members of Marist’s faculty and staff, and student government. Ponneh Varho, a partner at the executive search firm Isaacson, Miller, will also join the committee.

“The incoming CFO will play a critical role in helping to balance the full deployment of resources in support of the mission with the need to preserve the financial health and strength of Marist College over the long term,” said Brackett. “Chief among the criteria that Kevin [Weinman] has identified for the committee to be looking for are: strong financial acumen, a proven track record of strategic collaboration, an entrepreneurial mindset and skill set and a commitment to transparency and clear communication.”

Marist will also look for its first-ever Vice President for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. This role has previously been referred to as Chief Diversity Officer, but Weinman changed the title to “more clearly connote its standing as a senior executive of the College and the fuller breadth of its duties.”

Addrain Conyers, Associate Professor & Chair of Criminal Justice, and Director of Academic Diversity & Inclusion will lead this search. Conyers and Weinman will be configuring a search committee in the coming days. Kim Brettschneider and Christine Pendleton from the executive search firm WittKeiffer will assist the search process.

Weinman hopes to welcome these two new senior members to Marist in the coming months.