Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ

Dear Campus Community,  

I am pleased to announce that Andrea C. Alexander has been appointed Vice President for Administration and Finance and Chief Financial Officer at Cal Poly Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ, effective November 16, 2026, following a national search. With more than 20 years of leadership experience in public higher education, nonprofit organizations, and complex mission-driven organizations, Andrea brings an extensive background in financial stewardship, operational leadership, capital planning, and strategic resource allocation, shared governance, and institutional strategy. 

Most recently, Andrea served as Vice President for Finance and Administrative Services at Evergreen Valley College in San Jose, where for a decade she oversaw a comprehensive portfolio that included financial services, budget development, capital planning, facilities management, technology services, risk management, emergency preparedness, purchasing, compliance, and auxiliary operations. As a member of the college’s executive leadership team, she served as a strategic advisor to the president and guided institutional strategy, resource allocation, and long-range planning. 

Her accumulated professional experience includes budget development, multi-year financial forecasting, enrollment-informed financial planning, resource allocation, and operational efficiency initiatives in K-12 and higher education organizations including City Colleges of Chicago, University of Chicago, and Reading in Motion, a multi-state literacy and instruction partner for Chicago Public Schools and more than fifty public school districts nationwide. 

Andrea brings significant experience in capital planning and infrastructure development to support Cal Poly Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ’s aspirations for campus modernization. At Evergreen Valley, she oversaw more than $748M in bond-funded capital projects, infrastructure modernization, and campus development initiatives, working collaboratively with architects, engineers, construction teams, public agencies, faculty, staff, and community stakeholders. 

She brings extensive experience nurturing partnerships with college foundations, nonprofit boards, community organizations, and auxiliary organizations to strengthen institutional capacity, support capital projects, and advance student success. This expertise translates directly to her portfolio of fiscal responsibilities concerning Cal Poly Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Enterprises, Associated Students, Incorporated, and the Cal Poly Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Philanthropic Foundation. 

Andrea holds an Ed.D. from Johns Hopkins University, an M.Ed. from Loyola University Chicago, and a BA from the University of Chicago in Economics and Political Science.  

I am delighted that Andrea will contribute her expertise and leadership to Cal Poly Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ and want to thank and acknowledge the members of the search committee who supported this successful recruitment: 

• Neil Chaturvedi (chair) 
  Professor, Political Science and Weglyn Endowed Chair, College of Letters, Arts, and Social Sciences 
  
  
• Peter Hanink 
  Associate Professor, Sociology, College of Letters, Arts, and Social Sciences  
  
• Yuanjie (Ed) He 
  Professor, Technology and Operations Department, College of Business Administration 
  
  
• Phyllis Nelson 
  Professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering, College of Engineering  
  
  
• Alejandra Lopez Sanchez 
  ASI President 
  
  
• John McGuthry 
  Vice President/CIO for Information Technology & Inst. Planning 
  
  
• Bharti Sharma 
  Professor, Biological Sciences, College of Science 
  
  
• Megan Stang 
  Associate Vice President, Student Experience, Student Affairs 
  
  
• Frances Teves
  Vice President for Advancement and CEO of the CPP Philanthropic Foundation, University Advancement 
  
  
• Manny Toledo 
  Project Services, Facilities Planning & Management 
  
  
• Wei Yu 
  Chair and Professor, Finance, Real Estate and Law, College of Business Administration 
  

I also want to thank and acknowledge Michelle Cardona for her leadership as the interim Vice President and CFO for a period of two years during a time of campus transition. I am grateful for her significant contributions and know that the Division and the university will continue to benefit from her deep institutional knowledge as she returns to her permanent position as Associate Vice President for Financial Services and Controller.    

Please join me in welcoming Andrea to Cal Poly Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ. I look forward to the contributions she will make on behalf of our students, faculty, staff, and university community. 

With Gratitude and Bronco Pride,

Vanya Quiñones, Ph. D.
President