Gwendolyn Sykes
Chief Financial Officer
As Chief Financial Officer (CFO) at Yale University, Ms. Sykes is responsible for the financial stewardship of the University, including budgeting, accounting and transaction management, financial reporting, internal control and the integrity of financial information. One of Ms. Sykes primary areas of focus is on the use of technology and process redesign to increase the efficiency and quality of core activities such as accounts payable, payroll, financial budgeting and reporting.
Ms. Sykes is Yale’s first CFO. The establishment of this position at the 306-year old institution marks a new phase in the University’s financial management. It reflects the increasing demands that come with growth in the size, complexity, and resources of the University and the increasing regulatory and fiduciary demands facing universities today. Yale has an operating budget of $1.8 billion, investment assets of $32 billion, and capital expenditures at $380 million a year and growing. The role of the Chief Financial Officer is to provide Yale with the most sophisticated financial management systems, practices, and processes to effectively utilize and manage these resources.
Prior to joining Yale, Ms. Sykes was appointed by President George W. Bush to the post of CFO at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and was confirmed by the U.S. Senate. At NASA, she oversaw the financial management and health of the agency’s $16 billion appropriation. She led over 500 finance professionals across the United States in the development and execution of financial policies, processes and procedures. She also provided financial impact analysis for NASA's strategic and operational decision making, and implemented a centralized accounting system for the agency. She is credited with having established a solid foundation of financial systems, practices, and information for NASA as it moves forward in space exploration.
Before joining NASA, Sykes served as an analyst for the Department of Defense. She also worked in Congress for U.S. Senator Ted Stevens from Alaska. She earned her B.A. in accounting from Catholic University and her M.P.A. from American University. Ms. Sykes now serves as an Adjunct Professor in American University’s School of Public Affairs.
In 2006, Sykes was named as one of the 50 Most Powerful Black Women in Business by Black Enterprise, and she was recognized by Newsweek magazine as one of the top women leaders in her field. She was the recipient of the David P. Richardson Jr. Nation Builder Award from the National Black Caucus of State Legislators in 2005. The previous year, she was awarded the NASA Exceptional Achievement Medal for her leadership of the Columbia Families First Team and in the creation of the NASA Family Assistance Fund. She won a 2003 NASA Exceptional Achievement Medal for outstanding budgetary and financial leadership.
Last Updated: January 23, 2009 (vm).
