Following a distinguished career in all things relating to administration, from finance to facilities, including 18 years at CSU, Vice President for Operations and Chief Financial Officer Lynn Johnson has announced that she will be leaving CSU this academic year.
“I’m so grateful for the career that I’ve had at CSU, and especially for the colleagues with whom I’ve had the privilege of working with over the years,” Johnson said. “I’m ready to take a step back and am excited about my next season of adventure, but definitely not looking forward to saying goodbye to the CSU community.”
As vice president for university operations, Johnson oversees numerous mission-critical units, including Facilities Management, Business and Financial Services, the Office of Budgets, Human Resources and Safety and Risk Services. She also serves as the liaison to the Administrative Professional Council and State Classified Personnel Council and serves on the board of the Semester at Sea program. As CFO, Johnson’s primary focus is to ensure the integrity of the financial processes and reporting of the University.
“Lynn’s role is so essential, to our mission, but also to the day-to-day functioning of our campuses,” said President Joyce McConnell. “We take so many things for granted at a place this large and complex, from just opening our classrooms or labs to keeping our employees paid on time, and all these operations are Lynn’s responsibility. She’s had an enormous job and she has performed it with such grace and skill that she makes it look easy. We will miss Lynn so much, not just professionally but personally because she is principled and deeply committed to CSU.”
Johnson’s official last day will be sometime between March 1 and June 30, 2022, dependent upon the hiring and appropriate transition of the newly identified VPUO/CFO. Until then, she will continue to work closely with McConnell and the university’s leadership team, including the vice presidents and deans, to continue moving CSU forward through Courageous Strategic Transformation. The President’s Office will launch a national search this fall with the intention of having the position permanently filled by next June.
“I’m so grateful to Lynn for her willingness to continue working with us even as she looks forward to all the great adventures ahead of her,” McConnell said. “It’s a testament to how much she cares about CSU, and I know that working together we will find a terrific financial and administrative leader to join our team.”
