‘EXPERIENCE AND CREATIVITY’
Thorndike selected to lead Administration & Finance
A certified public accountant with experience in corporations and higher education has been selected by East Carolina University to lead its administration and finance division.
The ECU Board of Trustees approved the selection of Sara Thorndike during its meeting March 1. Thorndike, who is associate vice chancellor for finance and controller at University of North Carolina Wilmington, will begin work March 30 at ECU.
Thorndike, who also holds a master of business administration, said when she heard that Dr. Rick Niswander, vice chancellor for administration and finance at ECU, was stepping down, she told herself that she had to apply.
“Currently working for the University of North Carolina System, ECU was very familiar to me. The campus has an excellent reputation,” Thorndike said. “When I heard that Rick was returning to the faculty, I decided to apply for the vice chancellor position hoping that my higher education and UNC experience, along with my passion and drive to be a strategically-focused and mission-driven leader, would be a good fit at ECU. I have spent the last three years learning and developing my skills to be ready to serve in a vice chancellor position in the UNC System.”
Chancellor Cecil Staton thanked the search committee, led by Provost Ron Mitchelson, for its work bringing strong candidates to campus.
Sara Thorndike (Contributed photo)
“I believe that Sara will be an excellent addition to the university’s leadership team. Her demonstrated skills in finance and accounting along with previous strategic leadership experience, including serving on the Chancellor’s Leadership Council at UNC Wilmington, should serve her well as she leads this important division of the university,” Staton said.
Mitchelson said he’s excited for Thorndike to join ECU and that she brings “experience, creativity and intelligence to the position.”
During her three years at UNC Wilmington, Thorndike served as associate vice chancellor for finance and controller, leading a team of 65 staff members, managing a university budget of more than $300 million, developing funding options for new campus construction, and serving as advisor for a $1.5 million student-managed investment fund.
Prior to joining UNC Wilmington, she was controller and accounting director for almost 10 years at Principia Corporation, a nonprofit college in Elsah, Illinois, and an independent school for preschool to high school students in St. Louis, Missouri. She also worked as a financial analysist for Express, part of The Limited Corporation at the time, in the corporate offices in Columbus, Ohio.
At ECU, Thorndike will provide leadership, oversight and stewardship to all aspects of the university’s financial resources which include total revenues of more than $900 million. The university’s total endowment is roughly $200 million. She will also oversee a division of about 1,000 staff members and a divisional budget of approximately $50 million.
“The mission of ECU attracted me most to the university,” she said. “ECU educates and attracts students who otherwise may not have access to education.
“As a CPA, MBA and EdD student, education has changed my life. As an administrator, I would like to pay that forward to help students who are working hard so the education they receive can help them make a difference in the world,” she said.
Thorndike praised Niswander, whom she knows through their work at fellow UNC System institutions. “Rick is an excellent leader and collaborator. With his many years of UNC System experience, Rick is known as someone that other campuses can go to for guidance.
“Rick is leaving big shoes to fill, but I am confident that with the help of the great team of dedicated and knowledgeable professionals in Administration and Finance, and the strong foundation that Rick established, we will continue to build on the great work that he has done,” she said.
Niswander announced his plans last summer to return to a faculty position. He joined ECU in 1993 as a member of the College of Business faculty. He served as dean of that college from 2004 until 2011, when he became vice chancellor.
Thorndike said she plans for her first months on campus to be spent listening, building relationships and trust, “so that I have a good understanding of what is working well and what opportunities we have to add value and to support faculty, staff and students. We will remain focused on supporting ECU’s mission and strategic plan.”
Thorndike earned her bachelor of science degree in accounting from Franklin University and MBA from The Ohio State University and is a Doctor of Education candidate at UNC Wilmington.