Office Veteran Named Chief Financial Officer

Posted on March 12, 2021

Nate Knuffman, a veteran of the University’s finance office, has been named UNC’s vice chancellor for finance and operations and chief financial officer following a national search. Knuffman had been interim vice chancellor for that office since August.

Knuffman has spent much of that interim period helping develop a comprehensive plan to address UNC’s financial challenges — including a $100 million structural deficit, the impact of the pandemic and a large backlog of deferred building maintenance — and to create a new budget model.

“Nate has shown an outstanding ability for collaborative and administrative leadership and a keen understanding of financial techniques, financial forecasting, financial strategy and budgeting,” Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz said. “He has established himself as an adept senior executive who is able to manage local, state and federal legislative and regulatory processes and demonstrated the ability to work across diverse units at a top-ranked global public research university.”

Knuffman came to Carolina in October 2018 as senior associate vice chancellor for finance and operations.

Prior to coming to Carolina, Knuffman was vice president for financial planning and analysis at the UNC System, where he was a member of the senior team advising the system president and supporting the UNC System Board of Governors in finance and business matters.

Previously, Knuffman was deputy director of the N.C. Office of State Budget and Management, where he was responsible for the strategic management of daily operations, change and organizational management, and budget preparation and oversight.

He holds a master’s of public management degree from the University of Maryland and a bachelor’s degree in economics and political science from Illinois Wesleyan University.

Knuffman succeeds Jonathan Pruitt, who in August returned to the UNC System office as chief operating officer after two and a half years at Carolina.

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