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Kentucky State University administration recently announced the realignment of its finance leadership team to ensure stability and success.

Today, the Kentucky State University Board of Regents approved Douglas R. Allen II to serve as vice president for finance and administration/chief financial officer. Allen will be responsible for the overall management of the University’s business operations, including purchasing, accounting, budget, auxiliary services, bursar, University police and facilities. He will oversee ongoing audit activities and launch a line-item review of all University revenues and expenditures.

“Doug brings a wealth of knowledge and extraordinary experience with him to Kentucky State University,” President M. Christopher Brown II said. “With more than 19 years of experience as a financial executive in higher education and non-profits, he has an extensive background and has earned a reputation as an innovative and highly collaborative leader.”

With more than 19 years of accounting experience within higher education, Allen presently serves as director of financial services for the Kentucky Community and Technical College System. He has also worked at Crowe Horwath as an audit manager and for the Commonwealth of Kentucky as an audit supervisor for the Office of the Auditor of Public Accounts. Allen is a member and board of director’s member of the Kentucky Society of CPAs, as well as a member of the American Institute of CPAs, the Accreditation Council for Accountancy and Taxation and a former finance committee chair and board member of the Lexington Art League.

Allen will begin his duties May 7.

Allen joins Duane Wright, who is the assistant vice president for finance and administration/controller, Raymont Griffith, who is the university budget director, and Gregory Rush, the special assistant for fiscal accountability.  Wright, Griffith and Rush are all recent appointments.

Wright has previous experience at Morehouse College and Clark Atlanta University, both in Atlanta, Georgia.

Griffith previously served as a legislative fiscal analyst at the Kentucky Legislative Research Commission and in many roles at the Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development.

Rush recently served the Commonwealth as executive director of the Office of Budget and Administration within the Kentucky Education and Workforce Development Cabinet.  His career also includes statewide service at the Kentucky Legislative Research Commission, the Kentucky Department of Education, the Kentucky Justice and Public Safety Cabinet, Arizona State University, the Kentucky Department of Corrections, Anderson County Schools, the Kentucky Finance and Administration Cabinet, the Governor’s Office for Policy and Management and the Kentucky Revenue Cabinet.

Each member of the new financial team has an affiliation with the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. This realignment strengthens the University’s commitment to fiscal integrity, transparency in operations and agency stewardship.