For five years, George Clark, chief financial officer and vice president for Business and Financial Affairs, guided Central through multiple financial transitions.

On Feb. 18, he’ll resign to take a position as chief financial officer and associate laboratory director for business services at Brookhaven National Laboratory in Long Island, New York.

Central President James Gaudino shared the news with “mixed emotions.” According to Gaudino, Clark provided the best budget information in Central’s history.

In the wake of continued cuts in state funding, Clark began transitioning the university’s budgeting model to Responsibility Centered Management in summer 2014. This model gave individual college deans ultimate control over the distribution of money instead of the Office of the President.

Clark’s departure leaves Chief of Staff Linda Schactler as the only remaining vice president of Gaudino’s first hand-picked cabinet. In November, Marilyn Levine resigned as provost and vice president of Academic and Student life.  

According to Tim Englund, interim dean of the College of the Sciences, the model was potentially “rocky” and controversial because individual departments all over campus were held more responsible for finances.

Englund said Clark worked with faculty to help them adapt to the changes and was “invaluable” during the transition.

“He has these pie charts and spreadsheets that he produces regularly,” Englund said. “I can’t imagine that most of the faculty could now have existed on campus without seeing these.”

Part of Clark’s prowess is his financial skills and his chemistry with the administration. Englund attributes this to Clark’s “strong interpersonal skills” and ability to present complex models clearly.

Englund will lead the search for Clark’s replacement. Once Englund and his team develop a position description, they will begin working with an executive search firm to find applicants.

“He’ll be hard to replace,” Englund said. The search firm will “go out and beat the bushes for us.”

Until a viable replacement is found, Joel Klucking, associate vice president of Finance and Business Auxiliaries, will act as interim chief financial officer and vice president for Business and Financial Affairs.

Klucking said he was flattered to hear the news and admits that the new position will hold a much larger scope than his current position.  

“George is a very tempered, consistent and methodical thinker,” Klucking said. “It’s exactly what we needed at the time.”

Klucking said he is unsure whether he will apply for the permanent replacement as he is “very happy and comfortable” in his current position.

According to Englund, Klucking has many of Clark’s invaluable qualities, mainly a background in finance and strong interpersonal skills.

“Joel will be outstanding in the position,” Englund said.

Additionally, Klucking will oversee a restructuring of Business and Financial Affairs, putting a new focus on enrollment management.

The restructuring will split business and financial affairs in two. One department will focus on finance, budget and auxiliaries, the other on financial aid and enrollment management.

Central will begin its search for a vice president of enrollment management as the restructuring begins later this year.

Until someone is found for the job, Klucking will act as the head of both departments.

“I’m delighted that Joel has agreed to lead BFA through this reorganization,” Gaudino wrote in a press release. “Joel brings a wealth of experience in finance and tremendous personal credibility throughout the university, the local community, and Puget Sound finance industry.”

Gaudino said he is not surprised that Clark was targeted for the role at Brookahaven, but will miss him all the same.

“I’m delighted for George, because he’s going to an incredible job at a world-class research organization,” Gaudino wrote in a press release. “We’ll miss the enthusiasm, professionalism, and optimism George has brought to work at CWU.”

According to Klucking, Clark previously worked in the scientific research industry and it’s very familiar to him.

“It’s a huge opportunity with a great company,” Klucking said. “We’re going to miss him. He was the right person at the right time to be our CFO and I look forward to whatever comes after this.”