Appointment of Ysabel D. Trinidad as Vice President for Administration and Finance and Chief Financial Officer (CFO)
May 6, 2021
I am pleased to announce the appointment of Ysabel D. Trinidad as Vice President for Administration and Finance and Chief Financial Officer (CFO) following the conclusion of a national search. She will begin her new duties at Cal Poly Pomona effective July 12, 2021.
In this role, she will lead the Division of Administration and Finance and will provide direction and oversight for our continued financial strategy, planning and business operations to assure critical support for the priorities and initiatives articulated in our Strategic Plan as well as continuing to advance our student success, equity and access goals represented in the CSU Graduation Initiative 2025. She will also take on an integral role in helping to advance the development of the 300-acre former Lanterman property as a vibrant “live, learn, work, play” location in support of the campus community.
Ms. Trinidad is an experienced and entrepreneurial leader within the CSU, having most recently served as the Vice President for Business and Financial Affairs at California State University, Channel Islands since 2011. At Channel Islands, she oversees a portfolio that includes Financial Services, Budget and Capital Planning, Risk Management, Internal Audit, Facilities Services (capital and operations), Public Safety (police and parking/transportation), Environmental Health & Safety, Human Resources, Information Technology, Title IX Diversity/Inclusion, University Auxiliary Services, Site Authority, Organizational Effectiveness and Real Estate. She was instrumental in developing and leading the University’s $850 million 10-year capital expansion plan “CI 2025” from concept to execution, including several public/private partnership projects that have resulted in net revenue to the institution. Under her leadership, CSU Channel Islands was recognized by the American Association of University Administrators (AAUA) with the 2016 John L. Blackburn Award for outstanding university leadership that demonstrates creative solutions to common problems in higher education for its “CI 2025” vision plan.
Ms. Trinidad enjoys over twenty-five years of experience in public higher education. She previously served as Vice Chancellor for Administration at the University of Washington Tacoma where she developed a highly regarded organizational effectiveness program; initiated and implemented strategies to respond to declining state financial support amid growing enrollment; and led efforts to expand and update campus facilities. Ms. Trinidad also served in administrative leadership roles at the University of Texas at San Antonio over a period of twelve years, where she managed a similar business portfolio and completed a $500 million capital expansion across the university’s two campuses.
With an outstanding record of consistently driving creative solutions and innovation within growing public universities, Ms. Trinidad has been successful in spearheading process improvements to leverage existing resources and achieve efficiencies. In 2015-16, she was appointed by then CSU Chancellor Timothy White as a member of a system-wide task force charged with recommending a sustainable financial model for the CSU to the Board of Trustees. She also currently serves on the CSU System Land Development Review Committee. She has served as the chair of the Chief Administrators and Business Officers group for the CSU, serves on local commissions and boards in Ventura County and is an active member in the leading higher education professional organizations — National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO), the Society for College and University Planning (SCUP) and the Western Association of College and University Business Officers (WACUBO). A product of the CSU, Ms. Trinidad holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from California State University, Fresno and an MBA from Saint Mary’s University.
On behalf of the entire campus community, I thank Associate Vice President for Finance and Administrative Services Joe Simoneschi for his service as Interim CFO since July 2020, and other members of my Cabinet for providing oversight for distinct pieces of the administration and finance portfolio during this past year including: Christina Gonzales (University Police Department and Parking – moving forward UPD will stay with VP Gonzales but maintain a dotted line to Administrative Affairs), John McGuthry (Risk Management) and Nicole Hawkes (Facilities Planning and Management). I also want to thank the members of the search committee, supported by the search firm of Isaacson Miller, for their essential contributions:
Sylvia Alva – Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs (Chair)
Michelle Elrod – Director, Employee Organizational Development & Advancement
Mark Generous – Assistant Professor, College of Letters, Arts, and Social Sciences
Hyungchul Han – Assistant Professor, Don B. Huntley College of Agriculture
Clayton Kusayanagi – Associated Students, Inc., Treasurer
Shokoufeh Mirzaei – Associate Professor, College of Engineering
Phyllis Nelson – Professor, College of Engineering
Victor Okhuysen – Professor, College of Engineering
Jason Rodriguez – Chief of Staff, Division of Administrative Affairs
Bridget Skvarna – Senior Accountant, University Accounting Services
Weiqing Xie – Professor, College of Science
Saccara Lim – Executive Assistant, Office of the President
As we prepare for the phased repopulation of Cal Poly Pomona and a greater volume of in-person activities through the summer and into Fall 2021, Ms. Trinidad joins our campus at a pivotal moment for continued innovative re-envisioning of how we teach, learn and work, both in recovery from the pandemic and to meet the challenges and opportunities of a changed environment of work and human and civic engagement. With her breadth of administrative leadership experience — and her deep commitment to student success, the mission of the CSU and to leveraging the unique assets and distinctions of our campus — I am thrilled that we have been successful in recruiting Ms. Trinidad to Cal Poly Pomona. Please join with me in welcoming her to the Bronco Family.