Potts named associate vice chancellor for finance and controller

Barbara L. Potts, newly-appointed as Assistant Vice Chancellor for Finance and Controller at Washington University in St. Louis, poses for a photograph on the WUSTL North Campus in St. Louis Thursday, Oct. 25, 2018. Photo by Sid Hastings
Potts

Barbara L. Potts has been named associate vice chancellor for finance and controller at Washington University in St. Louis, announced Amy B. Kweskin, vice chancellor for finance and chief financial officer. Her appointment was effective Oct. 2.

She replaces Michael Dunlap, who left the university at the end of May.

Her new responsibilities include ensuring compliance with accounting standards, implementing effective and efficient systems of internal financial control, and financial reporting that facilitates strategic decision-making throughout the university.

Potts, who also oversees the Accounting Services unit with a staff of 75, will have a critical role in migrating the university’s automated financial systems to a cloud-based one through Workday.

“After conducting a national search to fill this role, we have found a well-respected financial professional in Barb Potts,” Kweskin said. “We are thrilled that Barb is joining the financial services team. She brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to this role and will be a great asset to our organization.

“I also would like to thank my colleagues who joined me in working to identify a strong bank of candidates for this important position. I am grateful for their efforts and could not be more pleased with the result of our collective work.”

Potts comes to the university after more than 19 years at Ascension, the nation’s largest nonprofit health system, where she most recently served as senior director of finance.

Prior to joining Ascension, Potts was associate vice president and director of finance at Saint Louis University from 1996-99 and a senior manager and director of audit services at Price Waterhouse from 1982-1996.

“I’m excited about becoming part of the talented and dedicated finance team at the university as we undertake the transformative MyDay project and as we implement some long-anticipated new accounting standards,” Potts said.

Among her professional affiliations, Potts is a member of the American Institute of CPAs (AICPA), the world’s largest member association representing the accounting profession. She serves on AICPA’s health-care entities revenue recognition task force and is a former member of the AICPA health-care expert panel.

She previously served as a member of the Washington University Professional Accounting Advisory Committee.

Potts graduated summa cum laude from Saint Louis University in 1982 with a bachelor’s degree in accounting. She is also a certified public accountant.

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