DePaul University’s Money Chief Leaves for Syracuse

Syracuse University has hired away DePaul University’s treasurer Erin Archer to lead its own finances, according to the schools. 

Archer begins at the upstate New York university October 12, where she will oversee financial services and an outsourced investment portfolio, run day-to-day by Partners Capital. 

She spent five years at DePaul, a private Chicago institution and the county’s largest Catholic university. 

Her dual role as investment chief and treasurer was somewhat unusual for an institution of that size, but provided a model of strong and wholistic financial management. Splitting the functions between two specialist executives can create dissonance, where the endowment’s cash flow aligns poorly with, for example, a school’s seasonal cash needs.

DePaul plans to search nationwide for its next treasurer, according to an announcement. 

In the meantime, internal audit director Tonya Baez will replace Archer at the financial helm. Baez is a certified accountant and fraud examiner, among other designations. She, in turn, will be backfilled on internal audit by Angel Quinones. 

“One of the priorities in DePaul’s strategic plan is ensuring the university's continued fiscal strength for future generations. As treasurer, Erin made key contributions to maintaining DePaul's financial health,” said executive vice president Jeff Bethke in the statement. “From helping the board of trustees manage the university endowment to monitoring DePaul's 403(b) retirement plan, I appreciate all she has done for our university community. I wish her well as she begins this next chapter in her career.”