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A member of the
Institutional Advancement Division

~ Nancy Dezart Suttenfield '71 ~
 

Applying her bachelor’s degree in Mathematics from IUP has led Nancy (Dezort) Suttenfield to financial leadership positions with some of the best-known institutions in America.  In recognition of her outstanding performance with those institutions, she joins the 2006 class of IUP distinguished alumni. 

A seasoned chief financial officer with a blend of diverse experiences in large, complex public and private institutions, Ms. Suttenfield has long demonstrated leadership in strategic planning, nurturing institutions and their staff to reach their potential and promoting a strong culture of inclusiveness.   

Since 2000, she has served as vice chancellor for Finance and Administration at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, overseeing a $1.8-billion budget and planning strategy for all financial and resource management issues.  At UNC, Ms. Suttenfield has led a $1.6-billion capital improvement plan that is adding six million square feet of new classroom, research, and residential space in the heart of a historic campus that is more than two centuries years old.  She also has implemented a long-range financial plan to advance the university’s academic initiatives.  Her efforts on behalf of the university to facilitate regional economic development and revitalization of downtown Chapel Hill also have had notable positive impact.  Recently, she received an award from the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Chamber of Commerce for advances in town/gown relations.   

After earning her degree from IUP, Ms. Suttenfield earned a master’s in Economics from Virginia Commonwealth University.  She began her career with the Virginia Department of Taxation as an economist, served as a part-time instructor at John Tyler Community College, became state budget manager for kindergarten-through-higher-education programs at the Virginia Department of Planning and Budget, and, in 1986, moved to the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. 

During her ten years at the Smithsonian, she rose from director of the Office of Planning and Budget to assistant secretary for Finance and Administration.  In this position, she was the institution’s chief financial officer.  She led a comprehensive management study that achieved nearly $2 million in cost savings in the first year and another $6 million the second year.  Her accomplishments earned Ms. Suttenfield the 1993 CIO Magazine Excellence in Customer Service Award, the 1996 George Land World Class Innovator Award, and finally the Smithsonian Institution Secretary’s Gold Medal for Exceptional Service in 1996. 

In 1996, she joined Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, as vice president for Finance and Administration.  There, she achieved similarly positive results before taking on her current responsibilities at UNC. 

The Scottdale, Pennsylvania, native and her husband, Dr. Charlie W. Suttenfield, a UNC faculty member and clinical psychologist, live in Chapel Hill.