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Cornell University

Executive Vice President and CFO

EVP and CFO

Christopher Cowen, EVP and CFO, is dressed in a black and blue tweed jacket and red and white checked shirt. He stands angled at the camera, smiling. He has fair skin, blondish hair and blue eyes.
Christopher J. Cowen, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

As the Executive Vice President (EVP) and Chief Financial Officer (CFO), Cowen is the most senior non-academic officer for the university and is responsible for directing the financial and administrative services in support of university activities. As part of this responsibility, he has custody and control of the university’s funds and facilities and has general responsibility for the maintenance of financial records and the safety and security of the university.

Cowen oversees the following areas:

  • Division of Financial Services (DFS)
  • Facilities and Campus Services (FCS)
  • Division of Public Safety
  • Offices of the University Treasurer and University Bursar
  • Asset Management (including Real Estate)
  • University Investments
  • Office of the Chief Risk Officer

The Chief Investment Officer and the Chief Risk Officer report to Cowen for administrative purposes, but functionally, they report to the Investment Committee and the Audit, Risk, and Compliance Committees, respectively.

Additionally, Cowen shares responsibility for the Division of Budget and Planning, and for Budget and Financial Strategy at Weill Cornell Medicine (WCM). The Vice President for Budget and Planning at the Ithaca campus co-reports to the Provost and the EVP/CFO. Similarly, the Vice President for Finance and Chief Financial Officer at WCM co-reports to the Provost for Medical Affairs and Dean for WCM, and the EVP/CFO.

Cowen holds a B.S. in economics from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and an MBA from the University of California, Berkeley, Hass School of Business. Cowen began his tenure at Cornell on June 1, 2023, and most recently served as the Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer at the University of Florida in Gainesville. Prior to that, Cowen spent six years at Bank of America and four years at Goldman Sachs & Co., serving as managing director and co-head of the higher education finance group. From 1992 to 2010, he was managing director and head of the national higher education consulting practice for Prager, Sealy & Co., and from 1990 to 1992, he was a financial analyst for Merrill Lynch & Co.