Elmhurst University Names New CFO and Vice President for Business and Finance

December 15, 2021 | by the Office of Marketing and Communications

Elmhurst University announced on Dec. 15 that Julie Suderman soon will join the University to serve as its vice president for business and finance, and chief financial officer.

Suderman currently is senior vice president and chief financial officer for the Big Ten Conference, the country’s oldest Division I collegiate athletic conference. She will begin her position at Elmhurst in late January.

“I’ve always appreciated the value of higher education and the collegiate experience, so I’m very excited to join the Elmhurst University community and see the impact on a day-to-day basis,” she said. “You can just feel how welcoming the campus is—I’m looking forward to getting to know other staff, the students and the broader community.”

Elmhurst University President Troy D. VanAken said, “I’m very impressed with Julie’s experience, energy and familiarity with the higher education landscape. As we embark on the public phase of our historic fundraising campaign, her strengths will help us achieve our goals and advance our institution.”

Suderman views her role as prioritizing the University’s core value of resource stewardship. “Families and donors entrust their hard-earned dollars to this University, so I want to build on that confidence,” she said. “I want to make sure they know we’re managing their investment well, both financially and strategically, and positioning ourselves for long-term success.”

Suderman has worked as a financial executive in the corporate and non-profit sectors for more than two decades. Before joining the Big Ten Conference, she served as controller for the non-profit Global Leadership Network in South Barrington, Ill. She also has worked as a senior analyst and auditor for several global companies, including Exhibitgroup Giltspur, Synovate, Tellabs, Inc., and Square D.

Suderman is a CPA who has an MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management and a bachelor’s degree in accountancy from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

She is looking forward to joining Elmhurst University as it continues to celebrate its sesquicentennial anniversary.

“Marking 150 years is an important milestone and there’s a bright future ahead, so how do we build from where we are?” she said. “I’m excited to get in there and help take the University to the next level.”

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