Kenyon names chief business officer

The College has chosen David E. McConnell, a seasoned administrator with experience at schools similar to Kenyon, to fill the new position of chief business officer. McConnell, who assumed his responsibilities in early June, oversees auxiliary services such as the bookstore and the Kenyon Inn, along with the buildings and grounds department as well as security and safety.

The College's food-services contract will also fall under his purview, and he will be the budget representative to architects and construction managers working on campus projects. A member of the senior administrative staff, McConnell will report directly to President S. Georgia Nugent.

McConnell comes to Kenyon from Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Virginia, where he served as business manager. In that post, he managed dining services, the bookstore, printing and copying services, mail services, purchasing, faculty rental housing, fleet rentals, travel management, and telecommunications.

Previously, he was director of dining services at Grinnell College. He also served as the mayor of the City of Grinnell and as a member of the city council.

McConnell is a graduate of Jamestown College in Jamestown, North Dakota. He earned an M.B.A. at the University of Iowa, where he also pursued additional graduate work in higher education administration.

The College created the post of chief business officer earlier this year, in recognition of the fact that two increasingly complex areas of fiscal management--auxiliary services and the endowment--required two administrators. Vice President for Finance Joseph Nelson, who previously oversaw both areas, will now focus on the endowment.

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