Brian Burnett to join the university as executive vice president, chief financial officer in January 2025
Case Western Reserve President Eric W. Kaler announced yesterday (Nov. 4) that Brian Burnett, a longtime leader in higher education, has been named the university’s next executive vice president and chief financial officer, effective Jan. 21. He succeeds John Sideras, who is retiring from the role after 17 years.
Burnett comes to Case Western Reserve from the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), where he has served as senior vice president for finance and administration since May 2021. In this role, Burnett leads a range of divisions, including finance, facilities, human resources, the arts alliance, Title IX, police, new construction and university support services. He is responsible for ensuring the university’s financial viability, overseeing its $1.8 billion annual budget and $775 million in research awards and administering an $840 million endowment.
Across the past two decades, Burnett has held financial leadership roles at five public universities: the University of Colorado, the University of Missouri System, the University of Minnesota, University of Maryland (on an interim basis) and UAB.
“Having worked closely with Brian while I was president of University of Minnesota, I know first-hand the exceptional intellect, entrepreneurial spirit and deep commitment he will bring to Case Western Reserve,” said President Eric W. Kaler. “The search committee was tasked with a difficult job in narrowing the national pool of remarkable candidates for this role. I want to thank Provost Ward for her leadership as chair of the search committee, as well as all of the committee members for their dedication to finding the individual best suited for this critical position.”
At Case Western Reserve, Burnett will oversee the nine departments within the Division of Finance:
- Audit Services
- Budget and Financial Planning
- Campus Services
- Controller’s Office
- Endowment Funds Management
- Financial ERP Systems
- Office of Investments
- Student Financial Services
- Office of the Treasurer
Burnett’s career experiences align closely with the responsibilities of and goals for this role. He’s served at several R1 institutions, most of which had academic medical centers—making him uniquely attuned to a research- and clinical-heavy environment like Case Western Reserve. He’s helped strengthen institutions’ bond ratings, including UAB’s AA+ rating—the highest of any university in Alabama. He led the final implementation of an entirely new budget model across UAB in fiscal year 2023. And he’s been part of burgeoning research endeavors, including UAB’s recent record year of $775 million in awards and clinical trial funding—similar to CWRU’s push to grow research funding by 50%.
“Seeing the remarkable growth Case Western Reserve is experiencing—and knowing personally the vision and drive President Kaler has—drew me to Case Western Reserve,” Burnett said. “The university is in a strong financial position, and I’m eager to get to work in continuing to elevate the university’s excellence and impact.”
Burnett, a first-generation college graduate, holds a bachelor’s in economics from University of Colorado, Boulder; a master’s in finance from University of Colorado, Denver; and a PhD in educational leadership, research and policy from University of Colorado, Colorado Springs.