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GRAND FORKS — UND President Andrew Armacost announced on Tuesday, July 12, the university’s next vice president for finance and operations will be a familiar face on campus.
Karla Mongeon-Stewart, who is currently serving as the associate vice president for finance, will become the next vice president for finance and operations/chief operating officer. She replaces Jed Shivers, who is departing for a similar position at a university in New York.
Mongeon-Stewart will start her new duties on a three-year renewable contract, effective July 18.
“I am thrilled to announce that I have appointed Karla Mongeon-Stewart as our new vice president for finance & operations/chief operating officer,” Armacost said. “Karla has offered extraordinary leadership as our associate vice president for finance, overseeing a group of nearly 60 professionals who keep our financial engines and budgeting systems running.”
In her new role, Mongeon-Stewart will provide leadership for the university’s financial and operational divisions, including human resources, public safety, facilities, affirmative action/equal opportunity employment, records management and the Chester Fritz Auditorium.
“I am so honored to be continuing my professional journey at UND,” Mongeon-Stewart said. “I have worked with so many wonderful colleagues over the past seven years at UND and under Dr. Armacost’s leadership, I am confident we will continue the positive trajectory.”
A native of Fargo, Mongeon-Stewart graduated from North Dakota State University with a degree in accounting in 1996. She completed her master’s in business administration from the University of Mary in Bismarck in 2003.
A certified public accountant since 1998, Mongeon-Stewart has worked in an array of financial analyst positions throughout her career. She entered the realm of higher education finance in 2003, spending four years as the director of finance and controller at Bismarck State College. From there, she became budget director at NDSU, focusing on change management and process improvement. Next, she served as assistant vice president for academic affairs at the University of Texas at Brownsville and then chief financial officer at Rocky Mountain College in Billings, Montana.
In 2015, Mongeon-Stewart joined UND as associate vice president for finance after a national search.
“In her new role, Karla will showcase her strong leadership across the entire enterprise of finance and operations,” said Armacost. “Her state-wide experiences will be a true asset to UND as we enter the next legislative session. Karla has done visionary work in the world of higher education, and I look forward to having her leading the division following the departure of Jed Shivers in mid-July.”
Mongeon-Stewart has worked closely with Shivers in all matters related to UND’s financial planning and operations. In addition to helping UND navigate the pandemic, Mongeon-Stewart and Shivers’ leadership coincided with a surge in new construction, renewal and transformation across campus. They also continued to seek ways to fund new construction and decrease deferred maintenance costs through public-private partnerships.
Their financial leadership helped guide UND through the 2021 legislative session and subsequent special session, securing approvals for multiple high-impact UND projects, including a Merrifield-Twamley renovation, new runway apron for UND Aerospace and several space research initiatives.
“Jed has been an amazing mentor and colleague, and has positioned the division and the university on solid ground to confidently navigate the ever-changing world of higher education,” said Mongeon-Stewart. “I am so excited to be leading a talented finance and operations team and to continue my collaboration with all the divisions of the University for the benefit of our students, staff and faculty and our state.”
Shivers also credits Mongeon-Stewart for successful campus-wide implementation of the MIRA financial management model, as well as her work with differential-tuition management and improvements to business processes at UND. He called Mongeon-Stewart a “highly collaborative person within the (finance) division and across the university.”
“I am very gratified to learn that Karla Mongeon-Stewart will become the next vice president for finance and operations,” Shivers said. “Her experiences at the corporate level within three North Dakota colleges and universities as well as her tenure working with the provost at a University of Texas system campus provide her with outstanding knowledge and expertise. She also has a keen eye for recruiting, retaining and promoting talent.
“With Karla joining President Armacost’s team and working closely with Provost Link and the other vice presidents, UND will continue its strategic growth in teaching, research and service on behalf of the citizens of North Dakota and our region.”
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