Message from President Wong: Vice President for Administration & Finance and Chief Financial Officer Appointment

Dear SF State community,

I am very pleased to announce the appointment of Phyllis Carter, a seasoned chief financial and administrative officer with diverse educational and business experience, as our new Vice President for Administration & Finance and Chief Financial Officer. She will join our community on June 1.

Phyllis has a stellar track record of financial and strategic leadership supporting institutional priorities, improving fiscal and administrative operations, and ensuring financial sustainability. She most recently served as Chief Business Officer/Director of Business and Administrative Services at Oakland’s Laney College, supporting 19,000 students and faculty and staff members, and as Chief Financial and Administrative Officer at Mathematical Sciences Research Institute (MSRI) on the UC Berkeley campus. At MSRI, Phyllis led administrative functions supporting the premier international math research organization funded primarily by the National Science Foundation, National Security Agency, academic sponsorships and philanthropy.

Phyllis’ experience fully aligns with our student-centered mission. She is passionate about honoring cultural differences, encouraging intellectual and personal development, promoting equity, and inspiring students to lead, create, and innovate. She pursued these goals as an adjunct accounting faculty member at Merritt College and, more recently, as a board member of the Diablo Valley College (DVC) Foundation. (In 2017, DVC was named the top community college in California for matriculation to the CSU.)

She is a results-oriented executive who has supported fiscal sustainability and efficiency within diverse organizations. A measure of Phyllis’ impact is achieving successive years of operating budget surpluses at Laney while implementing operational improvements, new procedures for budget development and management, and other financial monitoring systems. Perhaps as significant, Phyllis consistently has demonstrated a commitment to seeking consensus and acting collaboratively.

Phyllis earned a master of business administration (MBA) from Washington University’s Olin Business School and an advanced certificate in International Affairs from Washington University. She earned a bachelor of science in accountancy from the University of Missouri. Her CPA was awarded by the Kansas Board of Accountancy. She is a fellow of the Executive Leadership Academy at the Center for Studies in Higher Education on the University of California, Berkeley campus. Her professional affiliations include the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants; National Association of College and University Business Officers, and others.

A unique blend of financial and management experience, business acumen, collaborative mindset, and commitment to students uniquely qualifies Phyllis for this very important role. I am grateful to the selection committee and its chair Jason Porth, and invite you to join me in warmly welcoming Phyllis to the SF State community. 

Leslie E. Wong
President