Matthew Lester, vice dean of finance and administration, has been recognized by Crain's Cleveland for his accomplishments as a finance leader in Northeastern Ohio.
As vice dean for finance and administration, he oversees a $350 million operating budget while being responsible for the long- and short-term planning, implementation and oversight of strategic finance and budget resources and processes.
He was recognized for his leadership in the planning and implementation of more than 25 faculty and 40 staff recruitments, 8,000 square feet of lab renovations, the more than $100 million in NIH grant submissions, and the many commercialization strategies for new biotechnology and interinstitutional partnership affiliations.
Additionally, he coordinates the strategic planning for the School of Medicine, designed to expand the faculty by 10-15% over five years.
Lester's leadership was "critical" during the COVID-19 pandemic, stressed Dean Stan Gerson in his nomination letter. Lester adjusted "strategies and contingencies while encouraging an efficient strategic vision to meet the investment and financial goals of the school," said Gerson.
Matthew joined CWRU in 2016 after serving as the deputy dean for finance and administration at the University of Arizona College of Medicine-Phoenix and 14 years in management consulting at PricewaterhouseCoopers and Huron Consulting Group.