Richard Amon, chief financial officer for the Utah System of Higher Education, has been appointed vice chancellor for business affairs at UNC Charlotte following a national search. He will assume his duties Jan. 4, 2022. In this role, he will serve as the University’s chief financial and administrative officer. Reporting directly to Chancellor Sharon L. Gaber and serving as a member of her cabinet, he will be responsible for the institution’s fiscal management, facilities development and operation, human resources, public safety and emergency management, business continuity and auxiliary services.
"Rich has a strong background in finance and administration that will allow him to step into the vice chancellor role and immediately execute strategies to support the implementation of the strategic plan," said Chancellor Sharon L. Gaber. "He is a strong leader who has distinguished himself as innovative, data-driven, collaborative and able to get the job done. I am excited to welcome him to Niner Nation.”
Amon brings more than 18 years of financial and operational management experience to this position. In his role at the Utah System for Higher Education, he oversees system institutional finances, budgets, business operations and capital facilities. Among his accomplishments were creating a legislative formula for state funding of institutional student enrollment growth, developing a model to measure institutional affordability for Utah students and a performance funding model to incorporate system attainment goals in access, completion and workforce development that resulted in improved accountability and funding. Amon also led a systemwide effort to revise student fees that resulted in an 11.5% reduction to fees.
"UNC Charlotte is an exceptional urban research university, and I look forward to contributing my talents and experience to the continued success of the institution,” said Amon. “Education played a transformative role in my personal and professional life. I am honored to offer that same opportunity to our students through supporting the University's commitment to affordability, scholarship, inclusiveness and innovation."
Prior to his work in higher education, Amon served as the deputy executive director for the Utah Department of Administrative Services, where he directed seven divisions providing centralized services to state agencies with 478 employees and $230 million in revenue. He also worked as a fiscal analyst for the Utah State Legislature, a budget analyst for Utah Governor Jon Huntsman and an actuarial associate for a pension consulting firm in Philadelphia.
Amon earned a Bachelor of Science in statistics and a Master of Public Administration from Brigham Young University and a Doctor of Philosophy in political science from the University of Utah, where his dissertation research focused on shared services in public organizations.