TWU names new finance and administration executive

Texas Woman's University officials today announced Jason Tomlinson will become Vice President-Finance and Administration in May. Tomlinson will succeed B.J. Crain, who has served in that role in an interim capacity since 2015.

Tomlinson's higher education career spans more than 22 years, with the majority of it in a variety of financial and administrative leadership roles-most recently as University of Louisville's Associate Vice President for Finance and Business Affairs, and in the CFO role for the University of Louisville Foundations, Inc. He also served six years as the chief financial and operating officer, technology director and sales manager for the second largest real estate company in Kentucky.

"Jason has an incredible depth and breadth of experience that aligns well with what our university needs at this stage of our strategic plan, from the incredible construction growth on our main campus to expanding our programs and research with new collaborations and revenue sources," said Chancellor Carine M. Feyten.

"Other than getting to know our organization, we believe he will be able to hit the ground running," Feyten added.

Tomlinson said he looks forward to joining TWU "because it has a wealth of opportunity and potential, and I believe I can help Chancellor Feyten and the university achieve the objectives of the strategic plan."

In his previous positions, Tomlinson's achievements include: more than a half-billion dollars in financing to advance university and Foundation projects; reduction of debt obligations by 65 percent; negotiation of public-private partnerships, resulting in $230 million in new student housing with nearly 3,000 new beds; oversight of the development, leasing, management and administration of three research/office parks; and innovation and entrepreneurship with community partners and industry.

Tomlinson coordinated the university's capital budget request to the state while serving as the university's liaison to Kentucky's Office of Financial Management, Kentucky's Finance and Administration Cabinet, the legislature's Capital Projects Advisory Board as well as the Capital Projects and Bond Oversight Committee. He also led the design and implementation of the university's budget preparation process and system.

Tomlinson joins TWU at a particularly strong period. Moody's Investors Service this month assigned an Aa3 rating to TWU with a stable outlook, reflecting the university's unique market position as the only Texas public university serving a primarily female student body. The Moody's report noted, "TWU further benefits from its high-demand health professional programs and locations in the vibrant Dallas-Fort Worth and Houston metropolitan areas. Strong operating and capital support from the State of Texas (Aaa stable) enhance revenue diversity, and relatively high financial resources provide an ample cushion to expenses and for growing debt to support capital investment."

Tomlinson earned both his undergraduate degree in psychology with a concentration in marketing and his MBA from the University of Kentucky in Lexington.