Scott Brady Brings Extensive Financial Experience to COD

Scott Brady Brings Extensive Financial Experience to College of DuPage as Chief Finance Officer (CFO) and Treasurer

Scott Brady brings more than 25 years of accounting, finance, governance and compliance experience to his new role as Chief Finance Officer (CFO) and Treasurer at College of DuPage.

“As CFO, I’m always looking into the future to make sure we have the resources needed to run the College on a daily basis,” he said. “My job is to prepare the College for upturns and downturns and anything in the middle.”

Brady is a Certified Public Accountant and Insolvency and Restructuring Advisor who earned his Bachelor in Accounting from Loyola University and an MBA in Finance and Marketing from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. He also completed the Executives in State and Local Government Fellowship Program at Harvard University. Past positions include Corporate Controller and Chief Financial Officer for California Water Holdings, Ltd., Manager of Restructuring and Reorganization Services at Ernst & Young LLP, and Chief Financial Officer for the Chicago Housing Authority, for which he oversaw an annual budget of $1 billion from the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

COD President Dr. Brian Caputo said Brady’s varied background in higher education, governmental agencies and multiple organizations provides the skills needed to keep the College financially healthy.

“Scott’s experience in both the public and private sectors, including at a top-four accounting firm, has given him a strong understanding of fiduciary responsibility,” he said. “College of DuPage is greatly benefitting from the knowledge he has gained during his exemplary career.”

When Brady first came to COD, he was preparing to become an adjunct instructor in the Accounting program. Then he discovered the College was looking for a controller and felt he had the right background for the position. Before he had the chance to teach—a goal he still wants to fulfill—Brady was hired as the interim controller, became the permanent controller and then moved into his current role.

“One way to think about controllers is that they look in the rearview mirror at past history to make sure we complied with everything,” he said. “The CFO is more about looking into the future—what are the capital needs, how do we get the lowest interest rates, and where will our future cash flows come from. I help to ensure the College always has enough financial resources to run the College at any given time, no matter what happens.”

Working at COD also gives Brady an opportunity to work in public service. This was a goal he set during graduate school when he completed a project at the Robert Taylor Homes—former public housing on the South Side of Chicago.

“I thought if my career went in a certain way, I could devote myself to public service, and I was first able to do that through the Chicago Housing Authority,” he said. “I’ve seen the power of education at all levels in my own family, from community college certificate holders to Ph.D.s. I’ve seen people who weren’t sure what to do with their lives come to COD, take classes in career and technical education programs and begin jobs with a purpose.

“If anyone at COD ever doubts our mission, all they need to do is walk out of their office and see the hustle and bustle of our students walking down the halls.”

College of DuPage is institutionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and is the second largest provider of undergraduate education in Illinois, serving approximately 21,000 credit and 31,000 non-credit students each term. The College grants seven associate degrees and offers more than 170 certificates in almost 50 career and technical fields.