On Feb.9, Donald J. Reaves, Vice President for Administration and Chief Financial Officer at the University of Chicago since 2002, was elected Chancellor of Winston-Salem State University by the Board of Governors of the 16-campus University of North Carolina during the board’s regular February meeting, held at North Carolina A&T State University in Greensboro.Reaves, 60, will assume his new duties Aug. 15, succeeding Michelle Howard-Vital, who has served as Interim Chancellor since Harold Martin resigned July 2006 to become UNC Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs.
After the announcement, Reaves introduced himself to the WSSU campus at noon in the Cleon F. Thompson Center in room 207. As one of the commentators said, “For Reaves, this is the first day of a great relationship with WSSU.”
Afterwards, Vital briefly addressed the audience with a few words about her WSSU experience: “This has been an unexpected joy and pleasure, and I will always love the band.”In recommending Reaves to the Board of Governors, UNC System President Erskine Bowles said: “In a stellar career that spans more than 25 years, Donald Reaves has distinguished himself as a faculty member, top-notch administrator, and proven leader. He has taught and held senior leadership positions at some of our nation’s finest universities. Along the way, he has earned a solid reputation for creative thinking, great integrity, and sound judgment. He clearly understands the many challenges – and the boundless opportunities – facing Winston-Salem State and the surrounding community, and he brings a deep understanding of what it takes to move a university to the next level. We are lucky to get him, and I am absolutely thrilled that he has agreed to join our leadership team.”
Currently, as vice president and CFO, Reaves supervised most of the University of Chicago’s fiscal and administrative operations which includes budgeting, human resources, capital planning and facilities services,construction, risk management, and fiscal and strategic planning. Reaves also supports five committees of the university’s Board of Trustees. A native of Cleveland, Ohio, Reaves majored in political science at Cleveland State University, graduating in 1976. After completing his master’s degree (1978) in the field and a doctoral degree (1981) in political science and public administration at Kent State University, he accepted a tenure-track faculty position at Northeastern University in Boston. While Reaves worked in the Massachusetts Department of Public Welfare (1984-88), rising to Deputy Assistant Commissioner for Budget and Cost Control, he continued to teach as an adjunct professor in Northeastern’s Graduate School of Arts and Science until 1993.
In 1988, Reaves began a 14-year tenure as Assistant Vice President and University Budget Director, Vice President for Finance, and Executive Vice President for Finance and Administration and Chief Financial Officer at Brown University in Providence, R.I where he served for nine years prior to his current position.
Active in professional and higher-education organizations, Reaves is a former chair of the Roxbury (Boston, Mass.) Community College Board of Trustees and a former vice chair of the Tougaloo (Miss.) College Board of Trustees. He previously served as a director of the National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO) and currently serves on the boards of the American Student Assistance Corp., the William Blair Funds, and the Amica Mutual Insurance Company.
Reaves is married to Dr. Deborah Ross Reaves, a clinical psychologist for the Cooperative Association for Special Education. They have two adult children: Marc, a graduate of Cleveland State University employed as a real estate agent in Cleveland; and Katherine (Katie), a graduate of Yale University who will be entering the University of Chicago law school next fall.
Following his selection, Reaves shared his feelings about WSSU. Reaves stated that the success of managing a university lies in taking the ideas and efforts of generations and building on them.
“I am a fit for this job because of my personality. I am a builder. I don’t like to tear things down,” he said. “I am an enhancer. The thing that attracted me to WSSU is that it didn’t need a makeover.”
Reaves ended his acceptance speech with two words he claims his children always use. He said it was the best way to express how how he felt about his new appointment. “This whole thing is really awesome and really cool.”