Senior Leadership Update

Dear colleagues, 

After two years of exceptional service as our executive vice president for finance and operations, Gregg Goldman will be leaving the University August 3 to return to the west coast to be closer to his family. I am so grateful for his leadership and counsel during our time together and at the same time I wholeheartedly understand and support his decision to prioritize his family. 

Gregg began as executive vice president for Finance and Operations at the University of Minnesota in 2024, and in that time I’ve come to know him as an exceptional leader who has helped the University chart our course. 

He has guided our financial choices through challenging headwinds, always working to ensure the University of Minnesota is positioned to educate our future workforce and improve quality of life across our state. He has shown foresight and wise stewardship as he has shepherded the University’s $5.4 billion operating budget and effectively managed our fiscal approach across five campuses and other sites. He’s done all of this by prioritizing our land grant mission since day one, and we will miss his steady and direct style. 

We wish Gregg well as he returns home and takes on a new role as executive vice president for finance and operations at the University of Southern California where he previously served for over 11 years. 

What’s next 

As Gregg steps away, Michael Volna has agreed to serve as interim executive vice president for finance and operations, and chief finance officer, providing University-wide leadership with oversight of the offices of University Budget, Investments and Banking, University Finance, Information Technology, University Services, Public Safety, Health, Safety and Risk Management, and Compliance. He will also serve as interim treasurer, pending Board of Regents approval. Mike currently serves as Vice President, Finance & Assistant CFO. With more than three decades serving in financial roles at the University, Mike is intimately familiar with our institution, our operations and our strategic priorities. He brings national perspective as the incoming board chair of the National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO), and his experience and expertise will ensure planning, budget implementations and campus operations will continue forward under his leadership. 

Together with the strong and seasoned leadership team of finance and operations professionals, we are well positioned during this transition. 

The executive vice president role is critical to ensuring the University of Minnesota continues to operate effectively at the highest levels in all three components of its mission: education, research and community outreach. In the coming weeks we will launch a nationwide search to fill the role and will engage the community during the search process. We anticipate a new leader in place by the end of the calendar year. 

I offer my deepest thanks to Gregg for guiding us through the past two years. The University is on a firm financial foundation and I have absolute confidence in our goals and direction — both with the balanced budget presented to the Board of Regents last week, and in the vision we have established in the Elevate Extraordinary 2030 strategic roadmap.

Sincerely, 

Rebecca Cunningham

President