|
Whitworth President Bill Robinson announced recently that Spokane Public Schools Superintendent Brian L. Benzel will be the college's new vice president for finance and administration. Benzel will join the Whitworth administrative team this summer. He rose quickly to the top of an applicant pool that included senior executives at public and private universities, Fortune 100 corporations, and government and nonprofit organizations, according to Robinson.
"Brian brings a remarkable record of inspired leadership, sound financial management and unwavering commitment to students," Robinson says. "Beyond that, he embraces and exemplifies the Whitworth mission. Anyone who knows Brian and knows Whitworth will recognize this as a great fit."
Following Tom Johnson's distinguished 17-year tenure as the college's chief financial officer, Benzel will bring 20 years of CEO-level experience in complex organizations to his new role of providing financial and operational leadership to Whitworth.
"I've devoted almost every waking hour to accomplishing ambitious student achievement, capital projects and financial goals for Spokane Public Schools; this move to Whitworth is an extension of that work in a new role and with new relationships," Benzel says. "I am humbled and honored to work with the Whitworth community to help shape the minds and hearts of young people to follow Christ's lead in serving the world."
As superintendent of Spokane Public Schools, Benzel has led the second-largest school district in the state, with 5,000 employees serving 30,000 students. Previously, he served in senior administrative roles with Seattle Public Schools, Voyager Expanded Learning, Edmonds School District, and Mead School District. In 1993, he was named Washington Superintendent of the Year.
Benzel holds a Ph.D. in educational leadership from Gonzaga University, a master of public administration from the University of Washington, and a bachelor of arts in business from Washington State University. He has been an adjunct faculty member at Gonzaga, Harvard, Seattle Pacific and Whitworth, where he taught school finance in the 1980s.
|
