Laurent Heller was announced as UW-Madison’s vice chancellor for finance and administration Tuesday, according to a campus press release.
Heller, who is currently serving as assistant vice chancellor for financial planning and analysis at the University of California, Berkeley, will arrive on campus in August and take over supervision of the university’s financial and administrative functions, some of which include budget and facilities planning and student services.
At Berkeley, Heller oversaw implementation of the campus’s new budget system and worked on its first medium-term strategic financial plan. He described himself as a creative problem solver with innovation experience in the areas of financial management and academic strategy within shared governance environments, according to the release.
Heller’s experience with shared governance is what made him stand out to Omer Arain, chair of the Associated Students of Madison Shared Governance Committee, who described him as approachable and intelligent. Arain observed the interviews of each candidate and said Heller showed more appreciation for the process of incorporating relevant actors into policy decisions.
“He definitely had the strongest attitude toward collaboration and democratic management when it comes to his job,” Arain said.
Arain explained that moving forward, it would be important for ASM to foster a good relationship with Heller because he deals with student fees and other aspects of student life, like University Housing. ASM Chair Carmen Goséy also expressed excitement over Heller’s commitment to shared governance and said she will be happy to begin working with him.
UW-Madison Chancellor Rebecca Blank praised Heller’s previous accomplishments and shared her excitement for his future on campus.
“Laurent emerged from an impressive field of candidates due to his strong analytical skills, commitment to public research universities, and experience crafting and implementing innovative budget ideas at the University of California, Berkeley,” Blank said in the release. “I look forward to having his vision and energy on campus.”
Heller will succeed interim Vice Chancellor for Finance and Administration Michael Lehman, who took over for Darrell Bazzell after he left the position in March. Heller said he has spent time on campus recently and is impressed with what he has observed so far.
“I’m deeply honored to have this opportunity to contribute to what is obviously a special community of dedicated faculty, staff and students at the University of Wisconsin-Madison,” Heller said in the release. “I look forward to working with the community to advance the Wisconsin Idea in the years ahead.”
