The Charter of the Post-Pandemic CFO: Supporting the Mission Through Strategic Staffing

Kelli Shomaker serves as the senior vice president for business and administration and the chief financial officer and has been at Auburn University for seven years. Shomaker is a seasoned administrator having spent over twenty-seven years in higher education, including sixteen years at Texas A&M University. As the university’s financial officer, she oversees financial reporting, budgets, procurement and payments, cash management, and debt management as well as numerous administrative units such as trademark and licensing, the university’s real estate portfolio, human resources, and facilities on campus. Shomaker received her bachelor’s degree in accounting from Texas A&M University and is a certified public accountant. Prior to higher education, Shomaker was the vice president, treasurer, and controller for a publicly traded investment company and worked as an auditor for the accounting firm of PricewaterhouseCoopers. Shomaker serves as a board member of the Retirement System of Alabama, the Alabama Public Education Employees Health Insurance Plan, and the Treasury Institute of Higher Education. 

Adam Tate has been working in higher education finance for over 20 years at the University of Alabama, primarily in roles related to budget and financial planning, financial communications, and budget strategy. He also enjoys working as an adjunct instructor teaching graduate courses in family financial planning. Adam holds a Ph.D. in higher education administration and is a certified public accountant (CPA).

Darren Catalano is the founder and CEO of HelioCampus, an EdTech company paving the way for higher ed institutions to deliver on their mission while ensuring financial sustainability. HelioCampus unlocks the full potential of an institution’s data across academic programming, administrative operations, and student learning outcomes to drive continuous improvement. Darren’s roots are deep at the intersection of education and technology, having served as the Vice President of Analytics at the University of Maryland Global Campus and leading the business analytics department at Rosetta Stone. Under Darren’s leadership, the UMGC Office of Analytics built a technology platform and sophisticated approach to data analysis for senior leadership across the university community. This platform later spun out of the University System of Maryland to become HelioCampus. HelioCampus now offers data analytics, financial intelligence and assessment and credentialing to colleges and universities across the country.