GRAND FORKS — UND President Andrew Armacost announced Tuesday, July 12, that the university’s next vice president for finance and operations will be a familiar face on campus.
Karla Mongeon-Stewart, who currently serves as Assistant Vice President of Finance, will become the next Vice President of Finance and Operations/Chief Operating Officer. She replaces Jed Shivers, who is leaving for a similar position at New York University.
Mongeon-Stewart will begin her new duties under a three-year renewable contract effective July 18.
“I am thrilled to announce the appointment of Karla Mongeon-Stewart as our new Vice President of Finance and Operations/Chief Operating Officer,” said Armacost. “Karla has provided outstanding leadership as our Associate Vice President of Finance, overseeing a group of nearly 60 professionals who keep our financial mechanisms and budgeting systems running.”
In her new role, Mongeon-Stewart will provide leadership for the university’s financial and operational departments, including human resources, public safety, facilities, affirmative action/equal employment opportunity, records management and Chester Fritz Auditorium.
“I am very honored to continue my professional journey at UND,” said Mongeon-Stewart. “I have worked with so many wonderful colleagues over the past seven years at UND and under the leadership of Dr. Armacosta, I am confident that we will continue the positive trajectory.”
A native of Fargo, Mongeon-Stewart graduated from North Dakota State University in 1996. She completed her master’s degree in business administration at the University of Mary in Bismarck in 2003.
A Chartered Accountant since 1998, Mongeon-Stewart has held a number of financial analyst positions throughout her career. She entered the field of higher education finance in 2003, spending four years as director of finance and controller at Bismarck State College. From there, she became director of budget at NDSU, focusing on change management and process improvement. She then served as assistant vice president for academic affairs at the University of Texas at Brownsville and then as chief financial officer at Rocky Mountain College in Billings, Montana.
In 2015, Mongeon-Stewart joined UND as associate vice president for finance after a national search.
“In her new role, Karla will demonstrate her strong leadership across the finance and operations enterprise,” said Armacost. “Her statewide experiences will be a real asset to UND as we head into the next legislative session. Karla has served as a visionary in the world of higher education and I look forward to having her lead the department following Jed Shivers’ departure in mid-July.”
Mongeon-Stewart worked closely with Shivers on all matters related to UND’s financial planning and operations. In addition to helping UND navigate the pandemic, Mongeon-Stewart and Shivers’ leadership has coincided with a surge in new construction, renovations and transformation across campus. They also continued to look for ways to finance new construction and reduce deferred maintenance costs through public-private partnerships.
Their financial leadership helped guide UND through the 2021 legislative session and subsequent special session, securing approvals for multiple high-impact UND projects, including renovations to Merrifield-Twamley, a new runway pad for UND Aerospace, and several research initiatives of the universe.
“Jed has been an incredible mentor and colleague, and he has positioned the department and the university on solid ground to confidently navigate the ever-changing world of higher education,” Mongeon-Stewart said. “I am so excited to lead a talented finance and operations team and to continue collaborating with all departments of the University for the benefit of our students, staff and faculty and our state.”
Shivers also credits Mongeon-Stewart for successfully implementing the MIRA financial management model across campus, as well as her work on differential tuition management and business process improvements at UND. He called Mongeon-Stewart “a very collaborative person in the (finance) department and throughout the university.”
“I am very pleased to learn that Karla Mongeon-Stewart will become the next Vice President of Finance and Operations,” said Shivers. “Her experience at the corporate level within three North Dakota colleges and universities, as well as her working relationship with the University of Texas System campus provost, provide her with exceptional knowledge and expertise. She also has a keen eye for recruiting, retaining and promoting talent.
“With Karla joining President Armacost’s team and working closely with Provost Link and the other vice presidents, UND will continue its strategic growth in teaching, research and service on behalf of the citizens of North Dakota and our region.”
