Daniel Valles named Vice President of Finance and Administration

September 12, 2024

Daniel Valles, a dynamic financial and operations executive, has been named the next vice president of finance and administration and chief financial officer of Albion College. Valles, who currently serves as senior vice president and chief operating officer at Willamette University in Salem, Oregon, begins his role at Albion on Monday, November 18.

At Albion, Valles will lead all business and finance areas of the institution and work in partnership with campus, members of the administration, and Board of Trustees on key elements of the pathway forward strategic plan. He will oversee all finance, budgeting, purchasing, accounting, financial reporting, long-range financial planning, risk management, human resources, facilities and planning, grounds, information technology, and administration of auxiliary services providers. 

“Dan is a collaborative finance leader with extensive management experience. He understands the pressures facing higher education and will partner well with the campus, our administrative team, the board, and me on Albion’s short- and long-term financial goals,” Albion College President Wayne Webster said. “Colleagues and student leaders who interacted with Dan during a recent visit to campus found him to be a committed, eager, and caring leader with expert knowledge of how to navigate the challenges and opportunities facing higher education finance.”

As Willamette’s chief financial officer, Valles manages a $100M budget, and oversees the University’s financial planning and analysis, budgeting and accounting, enrollment and marketing, facilities, financial aid, information technology, mail operations and print services, project management, scheduling and conferences, the bookstore, and vending. He also serves as liaison to the finance and infrastructure, endowment, and audit committees of Willamette’s Board of Trustees, and as a member of the executive committee, enrollment subcommittee, and deferred maintenance subcommittee.

“I am thrilled to be joining the Albion community. Albion’s commitment to liberal arts education and preparing students for success in a rapidly changing world deeply resonates with me,” said Valles. “I look forward to leveraging my experience to strengthen the college’s financial position and help achieve its mission and vision. I am excited to be a part of Albion’s leadership team and the entire Albion family.”

Prior to Willamette, Valles served in a variety of progressively responsible roles in finance at Portland State University from 2009 to 2015, including as fiscal officer for student affairs, and ultimately, as chief business officer.

He began his career with food services and facilities management firm, Sodexo North America; first serving as a general manager for local California Bay Area school districts, and later, as district manager, overseeing food service operations staff at 12 public K-12 school districts in California and American Samoa.

He earned his bachelor’s in business administration from the University of San Francisco and a master’s degree in financial analysis from Portland State University.

Dan will be relocating to south central Michigan with wife and two cats. They look forward to being closer to their daughter who is a student at Purdue University.

He replaces Interim CFO Mike Fox, who will move into a financial advisory role to support key financial initiatives. 

“For the past year, Albion has been quite fortunate to have Mike Fox serve as interim CFO,” said President Webster. “He has brought decades of finance experience into our cabinet and Board conversations and his partnership with me as we work with banks, accreditors, auditors, and government entities has been invaluable. I’m grateful for Mike’s leadership over the past year and look forward to continuing to work with him in this new capacity.”