Provost and Executive Vice President W. A. “Bud” Baeslack III announced today that the leader of finance and administration for the Weatherhead School of Management will become the university’s new associate vice president for planning and administration.
Victoria Wright, a longtime banking executive who joined the university in the fall of 2013, will start her new position at half-time March 1 while continuing to spend her remaining time as the Weatherhead School’s associate dean. The arrangement allows Wright to work closely with her predecessor, Chris Ash, who retires at the end of April. It also ensures the school has adequate time to find a successor.
“Victoria stood out from a talented field because of the breadth of her background and her clear commitment to Case Western Reserve,” Baeslack said. “She will be a strong addition to our team.”
Wright holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting and finance from Wright State University and a master’s in business administration from the University of Dayton. She began her career at Huntington Bank in Dayton in 1984, then moved to KeyBank five years later. Over the next three decades, Wright served in increasingly demanding roles, including stints in private banking and wealth management. During her last eight years she focused on the corporation’s risk management activities, ultimately becoming executive vice president for enterprise risk management. During her time at Key, she also participated in executive education leadership programs at the University of Chicago and a two-year Securities Institute at the University of Pennsylvania. She is pursuing certification from the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business in “Leading Change in Higher Education.”
“My interest in lifelong learning is part of what originally drew me to Case Western Reserve,” Wright said. “I feel privileged to have this new opportunity to serve the university in an even broader way.”
Ash, an alumna of the university, retires this spring after 42 years on campus. She has served in her current role since 2008, working closely with Provost Baeslack on implementing the 2008 strategic plan, Forward Thinking, managing overall academic budgets, and providing intensive support to schools as circumstances warranted.
“Chris has such extensive institutional history,” Wright said, “as well as a clear sense of today’s challenges and opportunities. I appreciate her willingness to share her knowledge and insights as I transition to this new position.”
Chris Masotti, the School of Medicine’s vice dean for finance and administration, led a search committee of faculty and staff in assessing and recommending candidates for the position.
“Chris and the entire committee did an outstanding job of considering how each candidate could help meet the university’s need at this time,” Baeslack said. “I thank them all for their time, wisdom and dedication.”