Michael Fox Joins Albion College as Interim Chief Financial Officer
August 21, 2023
Mike Fox, a seasoned higher education and nonprofit financial manager, has been appointed interim chief financial officer at Albion College, effective Monday, August 21.
In this role, Fox will be responsible for all finance functions of the College, including budgeting, purchasing, accounting, financial reporting, long-range financial planning, and risk management. He also will oversee the office of human resources, facilities and planning, grounds, and information technology.
“Michael is a collaborative, compassionate, and exceptional finance professional. 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,” said President Wayne Webster. “Campus partners who met him said he was knowledgeable and also collaborative, a good listener, and cared to know more about their work and how he can help.”
Over the span of his 40-year career, Fox has led financial operations for a variety of higher education institutions—small private colleges as well as publics, including the University of Michigan School of Dentistry, Eastern Michigan University, Trinity Christian College in Palos Heights, IL, and Geneva College in Beaver Falls, PA. His career has been marked by success in improving financial operations through personnel development, reporting enhancements, and strategic focus as well as a deep commitment to collaborative teamwork and communication.
Fox most recently served as director of operations for Knox Presbyterian Church in Ann Arbor, responsible for establishing a vendor approval process, budget and hiring processes, accountable expense and gift acceptance policy, independent contractor and performance reviews, and benchmarking property and casualty coverages. He also developed systems to monitor and project giving trends within the congregation and created a competitive benefits package for employees.
As director of budget and financial planning for the School of Dentistry at University of Michigan, Fox managed a $90 million budget and developed a financial plan and comprehensive financial dashboard to track progress on key performance indicators relative to the strategic plan. He introduced a 5-year life cycle replacement tool for use in planning for future cash flow needs, and created the school’s first faculty wage and incentive model as well as a comparative faculty wage survey across dental schools in the BigTen.
In prior roles as executive director of financial analysis and budget at Eastern Michigan University, vice president for finance and administration at Trinity College, and controller and CFO at Geneva College, Fox gained extensive experience in measuring areas of financial strength and weakness, developing financial models and forecasts, managing benefit administration, setting tuition, financial aid and gift policies, Board reporting, and overseeing physical plant, IT, food service, bookstore, HR, and business office functions.
“It has been a privilege getting to know some of the people and history of the College. I look forward to working alongside the many caring professionals that are invested deeply in the future of this institution,” said Fox.
Fox holds an M.S. in organizational leadership from Geneva College, a Bachelor’s in accounting with honors from the University of Maryland, and is a Certified Public Accountant.