Dallas Grundy named senior vice president, chief financial officer at The University of Akron

University of Akron (UA) President Gary L. Miller has named Dallas A. Grundy, a respected entrepreneur and results-focused higher education leader, as senior vice president and chief financial officer. Grundy will assume the role on Nov. 30, pending approval by the Board of Trustees.  

A critical role within the University, the senior vice president for finance and administration/CFO provides leadership, management and oversight of all activities within the finance and administration division of the University and serves as treasurer and chief financial officer of The University of Akron Foundation. The SVP/CFO also works with various internal and external constituencies to improve the effectiveness of the University’s financial and business operations in its efforts to become more innovative and strategic in its financial practices.

“I am extremely excited Dallas Grundy will join the leadership team as senior vice president and chief financial officer,” says Miller. “He brings exactly the right balance of experience in finance, leadership and community engagement needed at this pivotal time in our history.”

As UA emerges from recent financial and structural changes brought about by the impact of COVID-19 and reengages its constituents to revive a University strategic planning process, the president and the Board sought a permanent CFO to lead the institution into its next phase.

Welcomes opportunities to collaborate

“I am happy to join the community of students, staff and faculty at The University of Akron and its rich tradition for supporting and transforming lives in the region,” says Grundy. “My professional mission is centered upon collaborating with teams to manage both capital assets and change initiatives and I look forward to working with the Board of Trustees, President Miller and the finance and leadership teams to continue the growth of the University.”  

Grundy joins UA after serving as the vice dean and CFO of the University of Pennsylvania Law School where he oversaw the strategic operations and management of the School’s $400+ million endowment and budgets for more than 30 departments, offices and institutes. While there, he contributed to many efforts to bring about efficiencies using technology solutions. He led campus-wide efforts to bring together finance and technology leaders to develop new reporting tools to better manage gifts and endowments; was part of the institution’s inaugural university-wide Technology Investment Committee; reviewed and selected components of the university’s strategic roadmap to be financed from the newly created university fund; and led local change implementation of a university-wide Human Capital Management Initiative.

Grundy’s higher education experience also includes nine years as associate dean of finance and administration at Rutgers University’s Graduate School of Education where he was responsible for the school’s accounting, finance, human resources, administration, facilities management and information technologies. He also previously served as director of business affairs at Somerset Christian College in Somerset, NJ.

Experience in many areas

Grundy’s entrepreneurial spirit was fueled when he and three friends from his Rutgers Engineering program co-founded BCT Partners, a management and policy consulting firm serving non-profit, corporate and federal government organizations. The company continues to be included on the Black Enterprise Magazine 100 listing of largest Black-owned companies in the U.S.

He also served as chief operating officer of Access One, a joint venture providing digital solutions services to low-income residents; and as executive vice president and co-founder of an educational consulting firm specializing in organizational strategy and design and leadership development for clients such as General Motors, Lucent Technologies and Merck & Co.

A graduate of Rutgers University, Grundy earned a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from the School of Engineering and a Master of Business Administration in Management Information Systems and Marketing from Rutgers Business School. He is currently pursuing a doctorate in Educational Leadership from Rowan University.

Grundy has served on the boards of several nonprofit organizations including the Renaissance Economic Development Corporation and as a founding trustee for the Lawnside Education Foundation. He was inducted into the Rutgers African American Alumni Alliance Hall of Fame and was featured in The Network Journal magazine as one of their “40 under Forty” achievers.

Grundy and his wife, Latifah, an accomplished elementary school administrator, will relocate to the Akron area in the coming months.

“During their visit to campus, Dallas and Latifah demonstrated a deep understanding of the mission of the University, the challenges of our urban environment and the opportunities awaiting us,” says Miller.  “There is no doubt they will make a significant positive impact in this community.”

Media contact: Cristine Boyd, 330-972-6476 or cboyd@uakron.edu