Susan Kerry, whose higher education career spans 28 years, most recently as Senior Vice President for Finance and Administration and Chief Financial Officer at Michigan Technological University, has been named Hamline University’s new Vice President for Finance and Administration and Chief Financial Officer.
A graduate in business and higher education administration at Northwestern University in Illinois, Kerry then went on to receive a Master in Business Administration degree from the University of Michigan’s Stephen M. Ross School of Business before embarking on a 28-year career in higher education finance.
Kerry’s hiring culminated a nationwide search.
“Hamline University holds a unique place in Minnesota's higher education landscape and I look forward to being a member of the Hamline family,” Kerry said. “I am honored to become a part of this leadership team at such a critically important time in the University's history.”
In Kerry’s 28 years of navigating institutions through the rapidly changing higher education landscape, she’s worked extensively in the Upper Midwest region, holding positions across Michigan and Minnesota. Most recently, she served as Senior Vice President for Finance and Administration and Chief Financial Officer at Michigan Technological University from 2019 to 2022.
At Michigan Tech, Kerry managed the institution’s $350 million operating budget and $253 million endowment and served as Treasurer of the Board of Trustees and Director of the Michigan Tech Fund Board of Directors. As the executive operations officer, Kerry was responsible for non-academic operational aspects of a leading public research institution that included 1,000 acres of campus space, 16 centers and institutes, and $100 million in research expenditures.
“I am excited about partnering with President Murray, the senior leadership team, the board of trustees and the entire Hamline community to deliver the resources, services and facilities necessary for the continued advancement of the Hamline mission,” Kerry said. “I want to thank President Murray and the search committee for their enthusiastic engagement throughout the process and for welcoming me to the Hamline family.”
Prior to her role at Michigan Tech, Kerry served as the Vice President for Finance and Chief Financial Officer at the College of St. Scholastica in Duluth from 2015-2019 and as Associate Vice Chancellor of Finance at the University of Minnesota Duluth from 2012-2015.
Kerry will assume her duties on May 28.
