News

The Office of the Chief Financial Officer will soon implement a new contract system that will simplify the process of managing contracts for University departments.

This new system will allow the University to move from its current manual processes to an electronic workflow that increases transparency and efficiency. It will manage the production, execution and storage of contracts by automating workflows, standardizing processes and providing stakeholders with a way to search for and review various University contracts.

Read the full story at Syracuse University News.

Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Brett Padgett announced the hiring of Ashley Collins as Syracuse University’s Assistant Vice President for Procurement and Supplier Payments and Chief Procurement Officer (AVP/CPO). Ashley will report to Senior Associate Vice President for Finance Kelly Flannery and lead a newly restructured Procurement and Supplier Payments unit within the Office of the Chief Financial Officer, encompassing procurement, supplier payment, and supplier contracts and sourcing.

Ashley has 25 years of experience leading contracts, operations, strategic sourcing, and supply chain groups including 20 years in aerospace and defense. Ashley comes to Syracuse from Brown University, where she led contracts, procurement operations, and strategic sourcing as their Associate Vice President and Chief Procurement Officer. Prior to her time at Brown, she served as Saab Inc’s Head of Supply Chain, North America.

At Syracuse, Ashley will oversee all aspects of the University’s procurement, supplier payment, and supply chain, including contract governance, eProcurement systems, procurement policy, payment channels, supplier development and management, and travel program, with the goal to maximize quality and service, reduce costs, and increase return on investment for the University. She will develop a team to collaborate with key stakeholders to negotiate supplier contracts and establish and enhance strategic supplier relationships.

A native of California, Ashley and her family live in Manlius, N.Y. She received her bachelor’s degree in communication from Colorado State University and her Project Management Professional Certification at California Institute of Technology.

Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Brett Padgett announces the hiring of Kelly Flannery ‘00 into the key role of Senior Associate Vice President (SAVP) for Finance in the Office of the Chief Financial Officer (CFO). She will begin her tenure on Monday, January 13.

Flannery has spent years in high-level financial positions for city governments, most recently as the Director of Finance for the metropolitan government of Nashville and Davidson County, Tenn, where she directed an annual operating budget in excess of $5 billion. Prior to her time in Nashville, she held the role of chief financial officer for the city of Charlotte and also spent 10 years in increasingly senior roles in the city of Chicago’s finance department.

Flannery will manage three financial units within the division: the Office of the Comptroller, led by Associate Vice President and Comptroller Jean Gallipeau, the Office of the Treasurer, led by Associate Vice President and Treasurer Scott Kemp, and the Strategic Procurement department, led by the soon-to-be-hired Assistant Vice President for Procurement.

Her work will include long-term strategic planning, coordinating across units within the Office of the CFO and with other University divisions to ensure sound financial structures remain in place as the University embarks on several multi-year projects, including the Strategic Housing Plan and the operationalization of the Academic Strategic Plan, which includes the expansion of the College of Engineering and Computer Science. Flannery will deepen the division’s commitment to strategic procurement, financial planning and analysis, and will serve as the Office of the CFO’s representative on the University’s coordinated risk and compliance committee.

Flannery is a Syracuse alumnus, graduating in 2000 with a degree in international relations with a concentration in foreign policy and decision making. She then went on to earn her MPA at the University of North Carolina-Charlotte in 2004.

As part of its comprehensive housing strategy, Syracuse University today announced its intention to pursue the development of a new full-service hotel to be constructed on University Avenue. This effort follows the University’s recent conversion of the former Sheraton Syracuse University Hotel & Conference Center into Orange Hall, a residence hall that now houses roughly 400 students. It also builds on the University’s recent acquisition of the Hotel Skyler Syracuse.

Read the full story at Syracuse University News.

As Syracuse University continues to advance its comprehensive housing strategy, later this month it will begin demolition of several structures to make way for two new residence halls. The housing strategy, first announced in February 2024, includes demolishing Marion Hall, Kimmel Hall and Dining Center, and Comstock Avenue Garage. Work on Marion and Kimmel halls will begin in December, while the demolition of Comstock Avenue Garage is expected to start in early 2025 following the permitting process. Parking Services staff will connect with each Comstock Avenue Garage permit holder directly to coordinate new parking assignments.

Read the full story at Syracuse University News.

The University has updated its policy governing University travel, including new guidance around hotel and meals reimbursement, allowing for trip insurance as a reimbursable expense, and encouraging travelers to New York City to utilize the University’s Joseph I. Lubin House as overnight lodging. The updated policy will be available on Jan. 1, 2025, and is applicable to all faculty, staff and students traveling on University business.

Read the full story at Syracuse University News.