Reaves joins University as CFO

Donald Reaves

Donald Reaves has been appointed Vice President for Administration and Chief Financial Officer of the University, effective Thursday, Aug. 15. Since 1993, Reaves has served as the executive vice president and chief financial officer at Brown University. At Chicago, he will be responsible for both the fiscal and administrative operations of the University, as he has been at Brown.

In announcing the appointment, President Randel said, “We are extremely fortunate to have persuaded Donald Reaves to join us at Chicago, for he brings to us precisely the talent and experience that we need in carrying out the very substantial financial and physical plans on which we are embarked. He will, in addition, be a great citizen of our community and of the city of Chicago, given his widespread experience in both the public and private sectors.”

Reaves said of his appointment, “I feel extremely fortunate to be able to serve two great universities, first Brown and now Chicago. It is an honor to be asked to join President Randel and my other new colleagues at Chicago. Professionally, this decision was easy because of what Chicago represents––it is one of the world’s great institutions––and I am truly excited by this opportunity.”

Ruth Simmons, President of Brown University, said in a statement that Reaves has served Brown “with great distinction,” adding, “we all owe him a great deal for his many contributions to Brown University and to our broader community.”

Reaves, who holds a Ph.D. in political science and public administration from Kent State University, joined Brown in 1988, serving first as the university’s budget director and then as vice president for finance before assuming his current position in 1993.

Immediately before joining Brown, Reaves served as deputy assistant commissioner for budget and cost control at the Massachusetts Department of Public Welfare, where he helped manage a $3 billion budget. Prior to his service in state government, he was a full-time faculty member in the department of political science at Northeastern University, where he continued to teach in the graduate school of arts and sciences until 1993.

The many boards on which Reaves serves or has served include those of Tougaloo College in Jackson, Miss., Roxbury Community College in Boston, the American Student Assistance Corp. and Bank Rhode Island. Of that service Randel said, “I especially look forward to working with Donald to establish closer ties with Tougaloo and other historically black institutions and to further strengthen our relationships with institutions and businesses throughout Chicago and especially among our neighbors on the South Side.”

A native of Cleveland, Ohio, Reaves is married to Deborah Ross Reaves, a clinical psychologist. They have a daughter, Katie, who is a first-year student at Yale University.

ernment, he was a full-time faculty member in the department of political science at Northeastern University, where he continued to teach in the graduate school of arts and sciences until 1993.

The many boards on which Reaves serves or has served include those of Tougaloo College in Jackson, Miss., Roxbury Community College in Boston, the American Student Assistance Corp. and Bank Rhode Island. Of that service Randel said, “I especially look forward to working with Donald to establish closer ties with Tougaloo and other historically black institutions and to further strengthen our relationships with institutions and businesses throughout Chicago and especially among our neighbors on the South Side.”

A native of Cleveland, Ohio, Reaves is married to Deborah Ross Reaves, a clinical psychologist. They have a daughter, Katie, who is a first-year student at Yale University.