Belva White has been promoted to serve as vice president for finance and treasury for Emory University, effective Sept. 1, after serving for two years as chief business analytics and operations officer for Emory’s Goizueta Business School.
A certified public accountant, White earned her B.S. in accounting from Clemson University and an MBA from Goizueta Business School. She worked in Emory’s central finance department for 15 years, overseeing university financial accounting operations, reporting, endowment accounting, tax compliance, PeopleSoft Financials, business analytics and client support. After transitioning to the business school role in August 2017, she had oversight of financial planning, technology, facilities and business analytics.
“Over the past 17 years, Belva has demonstrated an action-oriented leadership style that values diverse contributions and collaboration from her team members and colleagues across Emory,” says Christopher L. Augostini, Emory’s executive vice president for business and administration. “Her leadership, vision and experience from both academic and non-academic unit perspectives makes her an exceptional person to lead Emory University’s Finance Division.”
In this new role, reporting to Augostini, White will provide executive leadership to the Emory University Finance Division, which includes Accounting, Controller’s Office, Treasury & Debt, and Financial Systems & Reporting.
Through these finance functions, she will oversee and be responsible for the financial processes and services of the university and will partner with key stakeholders to better deliver financial services and to assure sound financial decision-making, positioning and effectiveness for university financials. She will serve as a role model in supporting the university's core values and leading this critical function at Emory by example.
“I greatly value Belva — her work, attitude and commitment to Emory's mission — and could not be more pleased that she has accepted this integral position within our university,” Augostini says.
White is a past-chair of the National Association of College and University Business Officers (NABUCO) Accounting Principles Council and a current member of the NACUBO Analytics Advisory Group. She has served on various panels and has presented on a range of topics at higher education conferences and has also represented higher education in discussion with the Financial Accounting Standards Board. She has served on both off-site and on-site reaffirmation committees for the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.