Contact: Matt Lazier
805-756-7109; [email protected]

SAN LUIS OBISPO — Cal Poly today announced that Allison Baird-James has been appointed the university’s new senior vice president for administration and finance (A&F).

Baird-James has spent 14 years at UCLA, most recently serving for two years as interim vice chancellor and chief financial officer. Additionally, she served for 12 years as associate vice chancellor for business and finance solutions at UCLA, overseeing financial management and reporting, treasury services, insurance and risk management, procurement and travel accounting, student accounting, payroll services, tax, and business operations & systems.

Prior to her work at UCLA, Ms. Baird-James spent 13 years at Stanford University, in a variety of university finance roles.

“Ms. Baird-James brings a wealth of experience and insight to this important role, as well as a track record of innovation and success, and I am pleased that she is joining the Cal Poly team,” said Cal Poly President Jeffrey D. Armstrong.

Baird-James is a CSU alum, having earned a degree in business administration from Chico State. She is also a graduate of the executive program in management at UCLA’s Anderson School of Management, and she completed the Leadership at Stanford Program. She has served on several governing boards including the UCLA Foundation and the UCLA Investment Company. She also is an inactive certified public accountant.

Ms. Baird-James and her husband are looking forward to living in the San Luis Obispo area.  They have three grown sons, serving in firefighting, law enforcement (after serving in the military) and healthcare, and they have three grandchildren.

Baird-James succeeds Stan Nosek, who has served as interim vice president for A&F since April, and Cynthia Vizcaino Villa, who retired in March after more than eight years as Cal Poly’s senior vice president for the division.

A&F is the steward of Cal Poly's resources and comprises nine units (Audit, Cal Poly Corporation, Facilities Management and Development, Financial Services, Information Technology, Performing Arts Center, Public Safety, Strategic Business Services, and the vice president’s office and operations) that fulfill major operational roles for the university. A&F is responsible for oversight of the university’s enterprise-wide annual budget of $814 million and capital budget of over $1.5 billion.