Pueblo -- A fiscal administrator and trainer with more than 20 years of experience in Colorado higher education has accepted the position of Vice President for Finance and Administration at Colorado State University - Pueblo beginning August 14.

President Ron Applbaum announced today the hiring of Joanne Ballard as the University's chief financial officer. In the position, Ballard will be responsible for a budget of more than $24 million and the managing of the financial services of the University, including business services, accounting, budget planning, property and risk management, facilities management, security services, and auxiliary enterprises such as dining, parking, and the University bookstore.

"Joanne brings to CSU-Pueblo a wealth of knowledge and experience regarding the state's fiscal condition and the funding infrastructure for higher education. We are fortunate to have her join our administrative team and will benefit from her leadership and her networks throughout the state," Applbaum said.

For the past 13 years, Ballard has served as the Higher Education Fiscal Coordinator for the Colorado Higher Education Governing Boards. She also has served as the Fiscal and Administrative Services Officer for the Colorado Commission on Higher Education (CCHE) and as Controller and Business Office Manager at Loretto Heights College in Denver.

"I am pleased to be joining Colorado State University - Pueblo. This institution and the Pueblo community are places I have wanted to work and live since the first time I visited years ago. To achieve this opportunity now, when the institution is embarking on changes and challenges signified by the name change, makes it even more exciting," Ballard said.

Among her many accomplishments in Colorado higher education, Ballard has developed.  and presented workshops for higher education and board personnel on statewide budgeting, capital construction project planning, TABOR compliance and reporting, Government Accounting Standards Board (GASB) as well as basic and immediate fund accounting. She has had a leadership role in higher education's implementation of the new financial statement reporting model and requirements mandated by GASB. She also helped to establish and implement policies for higher education's use of the state's administrative/financial computer system. Currently, she chairs the Higher Education Financial Advisory Committee. 

A native of Sioux City, Iowa, Ballard earned a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting from Metropolitan State College and a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in English Literature from Briar Cliff College. She has held numerous positions, including chair, on the Board of Directors for the Colorado Student Obligation Bond Authority and is a member of the Colorado Fiscal Managers Association and the Western Association of College and University Business Officers.

Colorado State University - Pueblo is a regional, comprehensive university emphasizing professional, career-oriented, and applied programs. Displaying excellence in teaching, celebrating diversity, and engaging in service and outreach, CSU-Pueblo is distinguished by access, opportunity, and the overall quality of services provided to its students.