WELCOME BACK - VP/CFO MIKE LEE

Welcome Back - VP/CFO Mike Lee

ABA's Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Mike Lee recently returned after working 13 months as the Interim Provost for Academic Affairs. The FOCUS wanted to dedicate a special section to welcome back Dr. Lee, including a brief interview.

1). Can you explain why you had to depart ABA temporarily to work as the Interim Provost of Academic Affairs? President Nelson did not want the University’s initiatives, like Finish in Four, to lose momentum while the national search was conducted for a new provost. Additionally, some changes needed to be made so that those initiatives could be successful and the President needed someone who had experience in the division.

Academic Affairs is the largest division on campus and affects every college and all students. It also receives the largest portion of our University’s budget and is directly linked to fulfilling the University’s mission.

Due to my varied experience on campus, both in Academic Affairs, as a faulty member and as the Vice President/CFO of ABA, I knew how to work with the faculty, I understood how their budget worked and I had experience managing teams in the day-to-day functions of a large operation.

2). How long were you on this interim assignment? I began my interim assignment in January of 2016 and completed my assignment in the end of January 2017, so 13 months.

3). How did it make you feel to leave your ABA family behind, even just temporarily? The decision to take on this interim position was difficult, only because we were, and continue to be, in the middle of so many large-scale projects in ABA. Additionally, I knew that in order for Academic Affairs, or any other division for that matter to be
successful, the administration of the campus has to function well.

However, I was confident that ABA was comprised of so many high performing departments, I knew it would continue to function while I was gone. I believed that ABA and each individual department could perform at a high level, so it was ok for me to leave temporarily to go to the academic side.

4). Now that you have returned, was there any adjustment process needed? I do not feel that there is a transition period at all for me. ABA has built such a tremendous culture that I am able to fit right back in. Now, others might have to transition back to working with me, but for me, there is no transition.

In general, my leadership style is such that I am not a micromanager at all; I believe it is my responsibility to develop people to do the necessary work. It is very important to build the capacity at the unit level and bring in the people, by proper recruitment and onboarding practices, who can perform well. Recruitment is half the work and the other part is working and developing them to do well and be successful. That is the more important part in many ways. If you build the capacity then you can walk away and the organization is still strong.

I am very grateful to the leaders who handled the division while I was gone. I feel like I am coming back home and am very happy to be back.

5). Did you learn anything from Academic Affairs that you would like to apply to ABA? My 13 months in Academic Affairs reaffirmed my belief and understanding in what we do and how we do it. We must continue to focus on students – we have to ask the question, in every decision we make – how will this help students complete their degree?

Whatever we do, whether it is teaching, assisting, preparing documents, grounds keeping, electrical, or custodial, in the end, all the efforts we put in, all that matters is seeing when someone successfully completes their degree. I will continue to communicate and practice this with our staff because what we do it vital.

I also learned that in any University, we have to reach out and collaborate with each other. This is something we could do better; all of our functions impact our faculty, staff and students. It is important we reach out and communicate so that we maximize the positive impact we have on the University. This is critical.

6). What do you have to say about the individuals who filled your shoes during your absence? Very good job! Both Stacey Hayano and Ali Izadian did a tremendous job in my absence. They were able to step up when needed and did so with enthusiasm. I am very grateful for them. When I returned, ABA was in great shape, as if I never left.

7). Any other notes or points you would like to make, as we welcome you back to ABA? First, I would like to support all the great people who are working on some of our large projects; we are always continuously improving.

Lastly, I would like to welcome any new employees who were onboarded while I was out. I encourage you to emerge yourself in the ABA culture and I look forward to a brighter future with you.