Texas A&M’s president announces a leadership reorganization.
Mark Welsh says one division will now cover A&M’s finance, human resources, and planning and strategy operations.
Welsh named 30 year administrator Joe Pettibon II senior vice president of the new division of strategy and business services.
Continuing as vice president of finance is John Crawford, while interim chief human resources officer Henry Judah becomes vice president of HR.
What Welsh calls the formation of a unified leadership model is designed to more effectively and efficiently align A&M’s financial resources, human capital, and strategic objectives in support of the university’s mission.
The president said it was important to note that this does not affect the day to day operations in the three affected operations.
Texas A&M news release:
Texas A&M University President Mark A. Welsh III announced the formation of a unified leadership model designed to more effectively and efficiently align the university’s financial resources, human capital and strategic objectives in support of Texas A&M’s mission.
Effective May 1, Joseph P. Pettibon II will serve as Senior Vice President for Strategy and Business Services. In this new role, Pettibon will continue to lead the university’s planning, assessment and strategy efforts, but his portfolio will expand to include the Division of Finance and Business Services and the Division of Human Resources and Organizational Effectiveness (HROE).
This new grouping of divisions, Strategy and Business Services, is a complement to the existing grouping of operational and service-oriented divisions that comprise Operations, led by Chief Operating Officer and Senior Vice President Peter Lange.
“Joe has been a tremendous asset to Texas A&M University for over 30 years, serving in various leadership roles within academic services, leading critical strategic planning efforts for the organization, and serving as a member of various higher education associations and committees on behalf of the university,” said Welsh. “His knowledge of higher education administration — especially at Texas A&M — is unparalleled. I look forward to his leadership in this new role.”
This strategic alignment builds on the success of these individual units, bringing together critical, interrelated divisions under a single leader to foster increased collaboration, enhance decision-making through shared data, and better position the university for the future. Importantly, this integration is occurring at the leadership level and does not affect the day-to-day operations of these functional units. Subject matter experts in each division will continue to lead their respective areas of expertise with no blurring of functional boundaries between human resources, finance and business services, and data/strategy.
As part of this restructuring, Henry Judah has been appointed Vice President for Human Resources and Organizational Effectiveness, following six months of service as Interim Chief Human Resources Officer.
“Henry’s vast experience with the university in risk management leadership positions and his ability to understand the needs of our employees positions him perfectly for this role,” said Welsh. “His experience and steady leadership will continue to guide the university’s human resources and people-focused strategies and operations.”
John Crawford will continue in his current role as Chief Financial Officer and Vice President for Finance and Business Services, leading the university’s budgeting and financial planning efforts.
Michelle Mitchell, who currently serves as an Assistant Vice President, has stepped into the role of Chief Data Management Officer leading our data governance and analytics initiatives, and Michael O’Quinn, former special advisor to the president, has taken the role of Chief Strategy Officer.
“This new holistic administrative structure ensures stronger alignment between our institutional goals and the resources needed to achieve them — our people, our finances and our strategic direction,” continued Welsh. “It also reflects our ongoing commitment to building a more collaborative and agile administrative structure that supports the university community.”