Gerald Ellsworth Hunter, Ph.D.

Dr. Gerald E. Hunter is a leader with broad experience in organizational operations and has a collaborative, and collegial leadership style. Since 2013, he has served as Vice President for Finance and Administration and Chief Financial Officer of Norfolk State University in Virginia, providing oversight of an annual operating budget of $250 million and ensuring the overall operational effectiveness and integrity of the university's financial systems and operations. His responsibilities include direct supervision of Accounting and Financial Management, Auxiliary Services, Budget and Planning, Facilities and Planning, Finance and Management, Police and Public Safety, Procurement, Office of Information Technology, and Title III. He serves as the Campus Executive-in-Charge in the absence of the University President.

Among his accomplishments, Dr. Hunter led the university to its strongest financial position in the decade, implemented enrollment growth financial strategies that yielded 8% enrollment growth for the FY 2020. He also guided campus legislative advocacy resulting in the funding of more than $300 million in capital construction. The Fall 2022 headcount enrollment increased to a six-year high of more than 5,700 students, resulting in the highest historical annual tuition and fee revenue generation.

Previously, he was Vice Chancellor for Finance and Administration/Chief Financial Officer (CFO) at Winston-Salem State University, a public university whose mission is to offer high-quality educational programs at the baccalaureate, master’s, and doctoral levels for a diverse student population of 6,200. In addition to providing oversight of an annual operating budget of $170 million, ensuring the overall operational effectiveness and integrity of the university's financial systems, and developing and articulating the university's financial vision, Dr. Hunter worked collaboratively with administration, faculty, and staff in budget development and management and provided leadership and overall direction in the development and oversight of fiscal policies, procedures, internal processes, and capital planning.

Before joining WSSU in 2008, he was Chief Financial Officer at Antioch University McGregor-Yellow Springs, Ohio. His responsibilities included organizational strategic planning, budget preparation and compliance, risk management, and all financial, cost, tax accounting policies, procedures and practices, technology, facilities management, human resources, and purchasing. He restructured the campus budget process that strengthened unit level accountability and linked the planning and budgeting processes more closely.

Earlier in his career, he served in leadership roles as Executive Institutional Effectiveness Officer at Kentucky State University; Vice President for Enrollment & Financial Planning, Associate Vice President for Budget and Institutional Research, and Assistant Vice President for Administration at Northern Kentucky University; and University Budget Officer and University Budget Analyst at Murray State University, Kentucky.

He holds a Ph.D. in educational management from Hampton University, Virginia; a Master of Business Administration degree from Murray State University; and a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting from Knoxville College, Tennessee.