Augustana selects 1993 alumnus to be CFO, VP of finance

Augustana has selected Kirk Anderson, CPA, as the college's new chief financial officer and vice president for finance and administration. Anderson currently is an associate director of procurement finance at Kraft-Heinz Foods in Northfield, Ill. Anderson will assume his new role at Augustana in December.

A 1993 graduate of Augustana, Anderson returns to the college with more than 20 years of experience in accounting and finance, including more than 15 years at Kraft.

"We are pleased Kirk Anderson has chosen to come home to his alma mater," said Augustana President Steve Bahls. "His broad experience, starting with his experience as a student and including his public accounting and corporate experience, will benefit Augustana. He appreciates the mission of the college and our system of shared governance, and we appreciate the excitement and the vision he can bring to our leadership team."

Anderson earned his CPA in 1997 and his MBA from DePaul University's Kellstadt School of Business in 2002.

In Anderson's most recent positions at Kraft-Heinz, he was responsible for the financial oversight and risk management strategies of more than $2.8 billion of commodity purchases related to coffee, snack nuts, cheese and dairy ingredients. He also served as the plant controller at the Oscar Mayer manufacturing facility in Davenport, Iowa, from 2009 through 2011.

Sheri Curran, Augustana's general counsel and chair of the search committee, said, "After conducting a nationwide search, we were fortunate to have many qualified candidates to consider."

The search took more than five months to complete. The search committee included Dr. John Delaney, professor of accounting; Dr. Michael Edmondson, associate vice president of career development; Laura Ford, director of human resources; Garry Griffith, director of dining services; Lori Roderick, director of corporate and foundation relations; Dave Myatt, associate director of financial assistance; Lee Selander, chair of the Board of Trustees; Dr. Wendy Hilton-Morrow, associate dean of the college; Justin Fox '16, a student majoring in finance and accounting; and Chris Vaughan, chief information officer.

Looking forward to serving his alma mater, Anderson said, "I'm excited to get back to Augustana and work with some of the best people I know."