2017 CFO Awards Finalist: CFO Steven Olsen, UCLA

UCLA’s Vice Chancellor and CFO Steven Olsen develops financial and business strategies for education, research, health care, information technology, and institutional investing for one of the nation’s leading public research universities. Olsen oversees capital investment, design and construction for academic, housing, and clinical/hospital facilities. He places a strong focus on collaborative problem solving within complex academic and political environments. He has been a prominent thought leader within the University of California system regarding academic planning, financial strategy, capital investment, working capital and endowment investing, and risk management. Olsen has also helped to redefine the role of the research university CFO, placing a strong emphasis on collaboration with academic leadership, revenue generation, balance sheet management, and business transformation initiatives. He has been praised by colleagues for his superb fiscal management, leadership of capital programs, responsiveness to faculty and other constituencies, and his integrity.