On April 16, UNT announced Bob Brown as the next vice president of finance, replacing recent resigned Andrew Harris. He starts May 12.<br /><br />Brown is a UNT alumnus, graduating with a bachelor’s in 1980 and a master’s in 1990, both in business administration. He is a decorated financial officer, having won the 1996 Nation’s Outstanding Business Officer award and the 2008 Southern Association of College and University Business Officers’ Distinguished Service Award.<br /><br />Brown said he was excited to return to Denton, where he got his education and met his wife.<br /><br />“I was one of the students who had to go part time, but I was still able to access everything the college of business had to offer. I still remember a number of my professors by name,” he said. “The university is growing. I’ve had an awful lot of experience in helping campuses develop. It seemed to be really a good fit for what the university was looking for.”<br /><br />Brown has worked at Texas A&M – Commerce for the past eight years as its vice president of finance and administration. A&M president Dan Jones said he was sad to see Brown go.<br /><br />“I consider bob brown one of the best CFOs in the state of Texas in terms of higher education,” Jones said. “He has a very deep and broad experience. He’s worked at the community college level and the university level. I’m very sorry to lose him at A&M — Commerce, but UNT is lucky to be picking him up.”<br /><br />UNT president Neal Smatresk said Brown was a match for everything UNT was looking for, particularly being someone with experience in Texas who wouldn’t need time to learn the various rules affecting finance in the state.<br /><br />“It was really important that we had someone who had Texas experience so we could get up and running rapidly,” he said. “He’s very highly qualified. He’s got impeccable credentials. We’re just really excited that he can be here.”