Sullivan Selected As EVP for Finance

Columbia selected Anne Rollow Sullivan as its new executive vice president for finance after a nationwide search, the University announced this summer.

Sullivan replaces former Columbia Chief Financial Officer Al Horvath, who stepped down at the end of the 2006-2007 fiscal year to take a job at his alma mater, Pennsylvania State University, as vice president for finance and business.

Sullivan, who comes from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, is no stranger to Morningside Heights. Before becoming Wharton’s senior associate dean for finance and administration in August 2005, Sullivan spent two years working as Columbia’s assistant vice president for administrative planning and financial management.

Before that, she served as vice president for strategic development and marketing for Fathom Knowledge Network, a $30-million online learning initiative spearheaded by Columbia and launched in 1999. Fathom shut down four years ago after the program failed amid an unstable market and a weak business plan.

“Anne Sullivan combines an extraordinary grasp of financial issues in higher education with demonstrated leadership skills,” Senior Executive Vice President Robert Kasdin said in a statement announcing the appointment. “I know that I speak for many in welcoming her back to Columbia enthusiastically.”