UA System Restructures Executive Leadership, Names 3 To New Roles

TUSCALOOSA, AL — The University of Alabama System on Thursday announced three executive leadership appointments as part of an organizational restructuring officials say is intended to accommodate the continued growth of the system.

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Effective Oct. 1, the UA System says Dana S. Keith will serve as senior vice chancellor for finance and investments, while Mark Foley will become vice chancellor for administration and chief of staff.

Mary Caroline Wynn will serve as secretary of the Board of Trustees and system counsel.

The UA System says the restructuring separates executive leadership responsibilities for finance and investments from administration. Those functions were previously overseen together under the senior vice president for finance and administration.

UA System officials said the change reflects the expanding scope of the system's academic, health care, research and administrative operations.

“Dana, Mark and Mary Caroline are all highly respected and extremely capable,” UA System Chancellor Sid J. Trant said. “This evolved leadership structure will strengthen our ability to support our institutions and the people we serve and position us for continued success across the University of Alabama System.”

Keith, who joined the UA System in 2004, will serve as the primary adviser to the Board of Trustees and chancellor on financial strategy and stewardship. Her responsibilities will include institutional funding strategies, asset and debt management, investments and long-term financial planning.

She previously served as associate vice president for financial affairs at the University of Alabama and has held senior financial leadership positions within the system for more than two decades.

Keith holds a doctorate in higher education administration from UA, bachelor's and MBA degrees from the University of Southern Mississippi and another bachelor's degree from Mississippi State University. She is also a certified public accountant.

Foley will oversee several administrative functions within the UA System Office, including construction management, human resources, information technology and security operations.

He has spent the past seven years as secretary of the Board of Trustees and system counsel. In his new position, Foley will continue advising Trant on policy and operational matters while overseeing strategic initiatives involving institutional leaders and outside stakeholders.

Before joining the UA System, Foley practiced commercial litigation. He earned bachelor's degrees in economics and chemistry from UA and his law degree from Vanderbilt University Law School.

Wynn was appointed secretary of the Board of Trustees during its annual meeting Sept. 11.

She will coordinate board and committee meetings, maintain records of board actions, serve as a liaison between trustees and the UA System and assist with strategic initiatives.

Wynn previously practiced law as a shareholder in Maynard Nexsen's Insurance and Financial Services Litigation Practice Group.

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