Home » Former Centre College CFO to return in interim role

Former Centre College CFO to return in interim role

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Cuny came to Centre as vice president and treasurer in 2000.

Danville, Ky. – Longtime Centre College CFO John E. Cuny, who retired in June 2012, will return to campus on Dec. 1 to serve in an interim capacity with the imminent departure of current CFO Robert L. (Bob) Keasler, who is leaving for Shenandoah University in Virginia.

Cuny came to Centre as vice president and treasurer in 2000. During his tenure, Cuny was praised for maintaining strong financial equilibrium, executing a careful investment strategy and reducing the endowment spend rate.

“I had no hesitation whatsoever in asking John to return in this role,” said Centre President John A. Roush. “He will be an excellent interim leader until a new CFO is found,” Roush added, “because he knows Centre so well and contributed greatly to its success while he was here.”

Regarding that service, David Grissom ’60 praised Cuny as “the financial conscience of Centre College” when he retired. Grissom’s perspective includes more than two decades as chair of the Centre College Board of Trustees, where he now serves as a Life Trustee. “While presidential leadership and vision drives … success,” Grissom said in 2012, “the work of the CFO is essential to maintain the needed financial equilibrium that allows growth.”

Trustee Mark Nunnelly ‘80, current vice chair of the board, who singled out what he called Cuny’s “steady hand,” offered similar accolades. “John Cuny has greatly enhanced Centre’s financial planning and discipline, providing key leadership for the consistent outperformance of our budgets … and effective use of our balance sheet,” said Nunnelly in 2012

Cuny and his wife, Barbara, have traveled extensively since retirement, crisscrossing the United States in an RV. Reached en route to Mesa, Ariz., Cuny said he’s excited about the opportunity.

“Since July alone,” Cuny admitted, “six colleges have called me to serve in an interim capacity, and I’ve turned down the first five. The decision to return to Danville was an easy one, since Centre has always been so good to me. I appreciate the College’s confidence in me to serve once again.”

Cuny’s top priority after arriving in December will be preparing for the next trustee meeting in late January. “I have every reason to believe that all is well at Centre,” Cuny said,” but I want to be able to speak intelligently about our investment positions and the College’s business and finance areas.”

In announcing his departure to the campus community on Oct. 23, Roush recognized Keasler for serving “Centre and its financial operations exceedingly well,” along with praising Keasler’s leadership that “has led to the timely completion of various important construction and renovation projects across campus.” His appointment at Shenandoah will take Keasler and his wife, Carla, back to their Virginia roots.

A national search for a new vice president for investments and CFO is moving forward with momentum, with the goal of announcing a successor by Feb. 1, 2016.