VCU news

By Mike Porter

Virginia Commonwealth University has announced the appointment of Meredith Weiss, Ph.D., as senior vice president for finance and administration and chief financial officer.

In the expanded role, which was approved by VCU’s Board of Visitors today, Weiss is responsible for oversight of enterprisewide financial and business operations, including accounting, budget, finance, treasury, procurement and business services. She will continue to oversee facilities, human resources, parking and transportation, police, real estate, safety and risk management, sustainability and technology services, responsibilities she’s had since joining VCU as vice president for administration in 2016.

Weiss serves as a strategic advisor to VCU President Michael Rao, Ph.D., and works closely with the executive leadership team and Board of Visitors to recommend financial and operational objectives, policies and practices that advance a sound and innovative financial and operating structure for VCU.

“Meredith is a brilliant colleague and asset to the VCU team,” Rao said. “An administrative vice president since 2016, she added the role of chief financial officer earlier this year and has done an exceptional job with the critical university functions that are under her responsibility. She is the right person to lead VCU forward in our mission as a complex public research institution and I am proud to welcome her in this expanded role.”

Weiss has more than 21 years of experience in higher education finance, operations and management. At the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, she rose through the ranks to become senior associate vice chancellor for finance and administration, overseeing a $3.1 billion budget with responsibilities ranging from financial, treasury and auxiliary operations to energy services, public safety and trademarks and licensing.

While vice president for administration at VCU, Weiss has served as an executive sponsor for the One VCU Master Plan, the first master site plan to align the university and health system physical campus environment with VCU’s strategic plan. She has also overseen an enterprisewide capital and real estate plan that has resulted in nearly $600 million and 1.8 million square feet of construction and renovations.

Weiss also led the Great Place HR Redesign, a modernization of VCU’s human resources policy and programming designed to enhance employee recruitment and retention; the One VCU Better Together response to the COVID-19 pandemic; a new safety and well-being model, providing additional mental and emotional health resources for students and employees, and safety ambassadors to respond to calls for service for VCU Police in situations that do not require a sworn police officer; and most recently, the first-ever One VCU Sustainability Plan designed to identify and achieve meaningful sustainability goals at the university and health system.

“VCU is a place unlike any other. Rams are on the move achieving national prominence as a top-50 public research institution, top-20 most innovative public university, top-producing institution for Fulbright Scholars, and a comprehensive cancer center, among numerous other achievements,” Weiss said. “It is a privilege and an honor to lead VCU’s financial and administrative enterprise during this exciting time. I look forward to continuing to partner with the VCU community to further advance this momentum, accelerate student success, grow the value of a VCU degree, and drive VCU’s impact across the commonwealth, the nation and the world.”

Weiss earned a Ph.D. in information science and a master’s in accounting from UNC Chapel Hill. She earned an MBA and a master’s in information science from North Carolina Central University, as well as a master’s in instructional technology from East Carolina University and a bachelor’s in human resources from the University of Delaware. Weiss is also a certified public accountant.