Geoffrey S. Chatas will join Yale as its next senior vice president for operations, President Maurie McInnis announced today.
Chatas, who comes to Yale from the University of Michigan and succeeds Jack Callahan, starts Nov. 1.
His appointment follows a national search “undertaken with incredible, care, deliberation, and diligence,” McInnis said in a message to the Yale community.
Calling Chatas “a dedicated advocate for the enduring importance of education,” McInnis noted he has for the past 15 years supported the mission of universities by leading finance and operations teams and teaching undergraduate and graduate courses.
Since 2021, he has served as the University of Michigan’s executive vice president and chief financial officer, overseeing a “broad and meaningful portfolio” encompassing the investment office, finance and accounting, enterprise strategic risk management, staff ombuds, facilities and campus operations, human resources, and shared services, McInnis wrote. He has also led more than 2,600 employees.
Earlier, Chatas was the senior vice president and chief operating officer for Georgetown University, where he managed a budget of $1.3 billion, more than 3,000 employees, and the planning of a new campus in downtown Washington, D.C.
He has also served as the senior vice president for business and finance and chief financial officer for The Ohio State University (OSU). While overseeing OSU’s $6 billion budget, Chatas developed new strategies to raise and structure capital and implemented innovative private sector partnerships, offering a model for other institutions in higher education.
Prior to his work in higher education, Chatas worked for JPMorgan Asset Management, serving as a managing director for the Infrastructure Investment Fund. He has also held positions at Progress Energy, Inc., American Electric Power, Banc One Capital Corporation, and Citibank.
“Drawing on his vast experience, he brings to Yale a deep understanding of finance and fiscal management as well as a spirit of collaboration that I know will serve him — and all of us — well,” McInnis said. “Geoff is a creative and transparent leader, and he has proven himself to be future-oriented and devoted to the communities he serves. He is curious, approachable, and engaging, building consensus across various constituencies.
“Given the significant financial challenges of our current moment, I am looking forward to working in partnership with Geoff, who has demonstrated not only a willingness to experiment, but an enthusiasm for problem-solving.”
Former University of Michigan President Mary Sue Coleman called Chatas “a visionary financial leader” and said he has been “an excellent steward of University of Michigan resources.”
“An architect of the largest bond sale from any U.S. university at record low interest rates in 2022, he delivered stable funding for capital and infrastructure projects at the university for the next century,” Coleman said. “He has undertaken large, complex projects such as new clustered residential halls for 2,300 students on Central Campus, geothermal systems for heating and cooling on the North Campus and Central Campus, and new solar arrays on both campuses. A champion of energy resilience and low carbon footprints, Geoff has worked tirelessly with student and faculty groups to meet climate change mitigation goals and keep the university at the forefront of innovation and technology.”
In her message to the Yale community, McInnis also described Chatas as a diligent volunteer, noting that he has served on the boards of several large organizations, including the Veritas Insurance Corporation, the Planned Protection Insurance Company, the Greenhill Schools, and others. “I especially appreciate his experience with the University of Michigan’s Health Board, through which he’s become familiar with the inner workings of large medical and public health systems and the changing demands of public health care,” she said.
McInnis expressed appreciation for those who participated in the search that led to Chatas, and “profound thanks” to Callahan, “who months ago shared his intention to retire, but who has continued to serve as we conducted our search for his successor.
“[Callahan’s] stabilizing leadership over the course of almost a decade has burnished Yale’s reputation around the globe. Here in New Haven, he has presided over a period of remarkable growth, from our expanded undergraduate population to our new and cutting-edge facilities. Across his full portfolio, he has set Yale up for success, and I am so appreciative of his service.”
McInnis said she looks forward to welcoming Chatas, “and to working with him as we plan for Yale’s future.”
For his part, Chatas said he plans to approach his new role “oriented towards the same north star that has long guided me — belief in the value of education.”
“It will be my honor to create conditions and strategies for better learning, teaching, and understanding — in New Haven and around the globe,” he said. “The decisions we make here help to shape minds as well as bodies of scholarship and research, and I’m grateful for the trust that President McInnis has put in me.”
