Larry Wakefield, who has more than four decades of experience in higher education budget planning and analysis and business affairs, has been selected to serve as the interim vice president for Indiana University of Pennsylvania’s Division of Administration and Finance.
Wakefield will begin work at IUP on March 24. In his position, he will be a member of President Driscoll’s cabinet and will supervise the Office of Human Resources, Public Safety and University Police, the Finance Office, the Budget Office, Printing and Postal Services, Facilities Management, and Engineering and Construction.
“Mr. Wakefield brings extensive experience in budget, finance, and facilities management to this interim role,” IUP President Michael Driscoll said. “I look forward to him joining the team and continuing the university’s positive momentum in the Administration and Finance area, and our student-centered focus,” he said.
Wakefield, a native of Knoxville, now living in Nashville, Tennessee, comes to IUP after serving as interim senior vice president for finance and chief financial officer at North Greenville University, Greenville, SC; at Delta State University in Cleveland, MS; and at Wesleyan College in Macon, GA.
“I am excited about joining the excellent team that President Driscoll has brought together and helping to continue IUP’s financial stabilization while supporting its vital mission,” Interim Vice President Wakefield said.
Prior to those positions, he was interim vice president for business affairs, vice president for business affairs, and special assistant to the president at Clark State College in Springfield, Ohio, where he implemented a multi-year budget plan, increased financial reserves, and managed several multi-million-dollar construction projects.
He spent 10 years as the vice president for fiscal affairs at Albany State University in Albany, GA, responsible for leading all university business areas, including facilities management, fiscal operations, business services, budgets and contracts, housing and residence life, police, and human resources. He also was responsible for capital projects, including financing for public-private ventures, and completed a 10-year master plan there.
From 1989 to 2006, he held several positions at Tennessee State University in Nashville: associate vice president for business and finance, interim director of communication and information technologies, director of finance and accounting, and director of internal audit. He was responsible for assisting in the leadership and management of facilities management, campus planning, financial aid, finance and accounting, purchasing and business services, budget and fiscal planning, human resources, and communication and information technologies.
He also served as director of budget planning and analysis at the University of Cincinnati and as director of budgeting and financial reporting at Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, TN.
He began his career in the Comptroller of Treasury, Division of State Audit for the state of Tennessee, where he audited state universities. He earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and his master’s degree from Austin Peay State University. He is a certified public accountant (inactive).
Wakefield fills the role held by Debra Fitzsimons, who left the university in February for the position of chief financial officer at Allegheny College in Meadville.
A search for the permanent vice president of administration and finance will be launched this spring, with the successful candidate anticipated to join the IUP community in January 2026.