Geoffrey Chatas named new U-M chief financial officer

The University of Michigan has tapped Geoffrey Chatas as its next chief financial officer and executive vice president. Chatas, currently the chief operating officer at Georgetown University, will begin a five-year appointment on Oct. 1. 

Chatas will oversee 45 business and finance departments at the University, including investments, finance, human resources and facilities & operations. He replaces interim CFO Brian Smith, who served for several months after former CFO Kevin Hegarty concluded a 42-year career in April. 

Chatas held leadership positions at private investment firms such as JPMorgan before serving as The Ohio State University’s chief financial officer from 2010 to 2018. He has overseen finances at Georgetown since 2018. 

An Ann Arbor native, Chatas is a graduate of Georgetown, Oxford University and INSEAD, a global nonprofit university. 

Chatas brings experience in carbon neutrality initiatives to the University. He guided OSU to an $1.165 energy partnership with Engine-Axium, now called Ohio State Energy Partners, according to OSU’s student newspaper The Lantern. The partnership was emulated by other universities attempting to reduce carbon emissions and energy costs, according to the University Record.