Dear Colleagues,

I am pleased to announce the appointment of Michiko Pinnington as vice president for finance and administration/CFO at Westminster College. Ms. Pinnington begins her appointment on April 5, 2021, and comes to Westminster from the University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law, where she served as the assistant dean for finance and administration.

Ms. Pinnington has an accomplished career in strategic financial planning and management. During her time at the University of Arizona, her portfolio included managing a $50M budget for the College of Law and a $60M budget for Information Technology Services in addition to overseeing financial and investment management and maintaining oversight of human resources functions, auxiliary funds, facilities, and administrative services. She also served as inclusion and diversity officer while at the University of Arizona.

In addition to her work in higher education, Ms. Pinnington has served as chief financial officer for Duralar Technologies, a global coating company, and assistant vice president of finance for Vantage West Credit Union. She has worked in audit (Clifton Gunderson LLP), management consulting and business development (Price Waterhouse, London, UK), and international marketing (Nikkei Quick Corporation, London, UK and Tokyo, Japan). Ms. Pinnington is a certified public accountant and has passed Chartered Financial Analyst Levels I and II; she holds degrees from the University of Arizona (MA in accounting), the University of Kent, UK (MA in international relations), and Kansai University, Japan (BA in economics).

Ms. Pinnington competed in a search process that included interviews with trustees, campus constituents, cabinet members, and staff in finance and administration. Interviewers were impressed by her experience, thoughtfulness, and commitment to transparency; references described her as a “great leader” with the ability to work as a strategic partner and “take a vision and turn it into reality through the details.”

In addition to welcoming Ms. Pinnington to the Westminster community, please join me in thanking our interim CFO, Syd Tervort, for her exemplary leadership and service during a challenging time—and in congratulating her on her new position at Westminster. As I mentioned previously, Ms. Tervort (Syd) will assume the position of associate vice president for finance and administration, drawing on her experience and skills in this new senior management role.

Regards,
Beth