Dwayne Pinkney is Pitt’s new executive senior vice chancellor for administration and finance and CFO

After a national search, Dwayne Lee Pinkney has been appointed executive senior vice chancellor for administration and finance and chief financial officer pending Board of Trustees approval, Pitt Chancellor Joan Gabel announced Thursday. Pinkney (GSPIA ’87), who will start later this summer, will serve as a key advisor to Chancellor Gabel and the senior leadership team on financial objectives and policies, including administrative initiatives and programs that support the priorities in the University’s strategic plan, the Plan for Pitt 2028. The newly created role combines the responsibilities of the offices of the CFO and Business and Operations under Pinkney. Additional details about the integration will be shared in the coming weeks.

“Dwayne brings more than two decades of incredible experience in a range of fiscal and operational roles, knowledge and strategic focus,” said Gabel. “He is well versed in collaborating with governance boards, presenting executive-level financial and operational data to internal and external stakeholders, and has a robust track record of effective advocacy and experience with capital construction planning, strategy and execution. With his leadership and long-standing commitment to students and shared governance, I am confident that, with Dwayne’s leadership, we will accelerate our momentum in ways that make us better and more innovative, while continuing to elevate Pitt’s spirit of possibility. As a Pitt alum, Dwayne is familiar with our enterprise and our community, and we are thrilled to have him join our team.”

An alum of Pitt’s Graduate School of Public and International Affairs, Pinkney currently serves as the inaugural executive vice president for finance and administration at Indiana University, where he is responsible for leading the finance and administration organization. Prior to his time at IU, he served as senior vice president and chief business officer at Virginia Tech and as chief financial officer and senior associate vice chancellor for finance and administration at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He began his career in the North Carolina General Assembly as an analyst and served as the deputy secretary for administration with the North Carolina Department of the Secretary of State.

“I am truly honored to join the University of Pittsburgh family and do my part to foster financial stability and growth at this great institution,” said Pinkney. “In collaboration with those in shared governance, we will drive strategic initiatives that support our mission of academic excellence, research innovation and community service. I am grateful to Chancellor Gabel for the opportunity, and I embrace the work and the challenges ahead while recognizing the tremendous responsibility that comes with it. My time at Pitt in the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs was pivotal in my professional preparation and career trajectory. I could not think of a more fitting chapter than a return to Pitt where it all began.”

In addition to a master’s degree in public administration from the University of Pittsburgh, Pinkney holds a PhD in political science from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and a bachelor’s degree in English and journalism from North Carolina A&T State University.