Dear Members of the Brown Community,

I am excited to announce the appointment of Sarah C. Latham as Brown’s new executive vice president for finance and administration.

An accomplished leader in higher education administration, Sarah currently serves as vice chancellor for business and administrative services at the University of California Santa Cruz. In this role she is responsible for overseeing financial affairs, an array of campus construction projects and a staff that totals nearly 1,000 employees in departments ranging from human resources to facilities, athletics and campus housing. Over the past year, she has played a lead role in UC Santa Cruz’s COVID-19 response efforts as well as in the development of a new telecommuting model.

Sarah brings an approach built on a foundation of partnership across faculty, staff, students and community leaders. Her leadership will be instrumental in ensuring strong administrative and financial support for Brown’s academic mission and distinctive student experience. She is deeply skilled in both advancing strategic priorities and supporting teams and also the essential tactical-level work that keeps a vibrant university campus moving forward. We’re excited to welcome her to Brown.

Sarah will begin her new role at the University in January. She will be responsible for most non-academic operations and lead all administrative business and financial operations. Her responsibilities will include finance and treasury functions, human resources, facilities management, real estate, risk management, business operations, dining services, internal audit and auxiliary services including the Brown Bookstore. She will also be responsible for advising and collaborating with senior leaders and others on strategic planning, annual budget recommendations and financial planning.

Prior to her tenure at UC Santa Cruz, Sarah served for 10 years at Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama, as director of institutional research, assistant to the president and, ultimately, vice president for operations and planning. She also served as an instructor in the Department of Political Science, teaching courses on public policy that built on early-career experiences in the Florida state legislature and Florida Board of Regents. She is also a past educational policy director for the Florida Council for Education Policy, Research and Improvement.

Sarah earned a Ph.D. in public administration and policy and a master’s degree in higher education from Florida State University. She also holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

Sarah will succeed Barbara Chernow, who will retire in October after an exceptional six-year tenure as executive vice president for finance and administration. Executive Vice President for Planning and Policy Russell C. Carey will serve as interim executive vice president for finance and administration until Sarah’s arrival.

I hope you will join me in welcoming Sarah to Brown when she arrives in January.

Sincerely,

Christina H. Paxson
President