UCLA names Stephen Agostini as new vice chancellor, chief financial officer
Stephen Agostini, the new vice chancellor and chief financial officer of UCLA, is pictured. Agostini is currently the associate vice chancellor of finance and leadership at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and having worked for several city governments. (Courtesy of UCLA Media Relations)
By Dylan Winward
Feb. 15, 2024 11:13 a.m.
This post was updated Feb 15 at 9:45 p.m.
Stephen Agostini will become the new vice chancellor and chief financial officer of the university, UCLA announced Thursday.
Agostini, who is currently the associate vice chancellor of finance and budget at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, has previously worked in university financial management and government agencies, according to an email from Chancellor Gene Block and Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost Darnell Hunt.
“Given Stephen’s significant experience in financial leadership and administration for major public organizations, we are confident that he will be an extraordinary addition to our campus leadership team,” Block and Hunt said in the email.
Agostini’s appointment, which follows a committee search, will be effective starting May 6.
The vice chancellor and CFO at UCLA is responsible for budgetary planning and capital projects, which include major property purchases and construction, according to the office’s website. The current interim VC-CFO, Allison Baird-James, was involved in recent university acquisitions, including the Trust Building in downtown Los Angeles, the former Westside Pavilion in West LA and two sites formerly part of the Marymount California University campus in Rancho Palos Verdes and San Pedro.
Agostini’s role at UNC involved working with the campus’ health care system, systemwide leadership and internal university stakeholders, according to the UNC office of finance and budget website. According to the UNC Salary Information Database, he was paid $347,543 for his work at UNC in 2023.
Prior to working at UNC, Agostini was also CFO for the United States Office of Personnel Management and has been involved in financial management for the cities of San Francisco, Milwaukee and Philadelphia.
Agostini, who graduated from Harvard University before getting a master’s degree from UC Berkeley, said in a university press release that he is excited to work for UCLA.
“UCLA is one of the most distinguished higher education institutions in the world, and I am thrilled to have the opportunity to work with remarkable colleagues across the university community to serve students, faculty, staff and the state of California while enhancing UCLA’s preeminence as a leader in higher education,” he said in the press release.
