Getting to Know Maria Anderson

Maria Anderson joined Dartmouth in January as chief finance and operations officer for the Arts and Sciences. 

Anderson brings vast experience in higher education administration. She joined Dartmouth from the School of Arts and Sciences at Rutgers University, where she was vice dean of finance and administration. Her prior roles include serving as senior associate dean of finance and administration at Boston University's Questrom School of Business, as assistant dean for operations at the School of Arts and Sciences at Hunter College, and as assistant provost for administration and operations and chief of staff at SUNY Stony Brook.

Anderson has also found opportunities to teach throughout her career, from a series of finance workshops she created for fellow administrators to an undergraduate organizational behavior class themed around Game of Thrones. "My brother was an executive producer, so it was fun to bring behind-the-scenes stories to every topic," she says. 

In a Q&A, Anderson reflects on her role at Dartmouth "at the intersection of resources and strategy," her leadership philosophy, and how her PhD in sociology informs her work in administration. 

As chief finance and operations officer, you oversee Arts and Sciences' Operations and Finance Center and Finance and Research Administration. How do you see your role contributing to Arts and Sciences' success?

As an administrator, I'm always focused on identifying the resources that are needed to help an institution fulfill its mission. It's my role to oversee the strategic management of these resources to allow faculty, staff, and students to thrive. It's really about working at the intersection of resources and strategy. 

This means managing all the behind-the-scenes, back-office operations that allow the faculty to teach and do research and the students to receive an education. Getting people paid, keeping all the systems running—all the stuff that no one ever thinks about—needs to happen effectively and efficiently. And when the right systems or processes are not in place, it means filling any gaps. 

I also have an eye on running interference. Faculty members need to be freed up to do things that only they can do. The administrative infrastructure needs to take care of the rest. 

With the project envisioning new models for Arts and Sciences, strategic resource management becomes even more important. An organization that has more control over its revenue, for example, has more accountability for how it spends its money. Strategic alignment of resources becomes especially critical. 

How do you approach the design and implementation of new budget models? 

I've spent a lot of time unpacking budget models and recreating them so that they work better. In my experience, institutions have a penchant for making things overly complex. But if you can't explain your model easily, it's the wrong model. 

It's also essential to have a flexible and amendable model; it can't be cast in stone. You put a structure in place, then you stress test it. And after a year or two, you realize what works and where it falls short. And then you modify it.

I'm also not afraid to blow things up and start from scratch—and take more time and do it right rather than a rush job that leaves a long to-do list. I'm a big believer in ripping the Band Aid off and fixing everything at once if you can, even if it takes longer.

How would you describe your leadership philosophy?

Completely collaborative. One of the benefits of being at an institution of higher education is that I'm never under any delusion that I'm the smartest person in the room. 

When institutions are implementing a new process, system, or strategy, they often have only the highest-level people in the room. But I like to gather all the stakeholders together, regardless of title. I want to have the people in the room who are actually going to use the process or or system, not just the people that think about it. 

It's my job to sift through all of the feedback and work with the strategic leadership of the organization to figure out the best path forward. And if I make a decision that differs from what was suggested, I always explain why.

I was very fortunate early in my career to work with an amazing dean who was previously a Fortune 100 CEO. He believed in treating everyone with fairness, dignity, and respect. He said that if you can't do that, you can't do anything. I've taken this to heart. People don't always have to agree with me, but I always want to make sure that they've been heard.

How does your academic training inform your work as an administrator?

I've spent a lot of my life collecting degrees. And the one I use every day is my doctorate in sociology—specifically the social psychology of identity, which was one of my primary fields for my doctoral research. Because this field focuses on how we view ourselves, it's very helpful in understanding how to support people in their chosen areas.

I'm especially interested in staff professional development. For a staff member to make a career in higher education, or even to make part of a career in higher education, they need to be able to rise above the fact that they will never get equal billing as faculty and students—that's just how it is in higher education. And so it's interesting to think about why we do it, and why people are very devoted and work so hard for the benefit of faculty and students. 

I'm interested in nurturing this dedication, and in understanding the actual psychological cost of staff turnover—because staff are not interchangeable. When I conduct a performance review for a staff member, my last question is always, 'What's your next job and how can I help you get there?' Because that touches on their engagement and identity, and how much of themselves they feel safe giving to their job. I want to help staff do the best job they can.

Looking ahead, I want Arts and Sciences to be the destination of choice for job seekers at Dartmouth. We need to ensure that our staff are given the tools, the training and professional development, and the psychological and emotional support to be the best they can and for as long as they can.

How do you like to spend your free time? 

My husband and I swim. We were both competitive swimmers in college. I love sports. You'll find me at sporting events in the Ivy League and Big 10.

I also enjoy live theater and music. And I'm an academic geek. I read almost exclusively nonfiction and tend to go through different time periods. For fun, I'll read a new biography of Charlemagne.

My husband and I also like to hike. (He's from San Antonio, and we joke that I keep moving him to colder and colder places!) We have a black Lab-husky mix, and he likes to roll in the snow. 

What are you most looking forward to in Hanover?

I'm really looking forward to being part of a small community, and to walking across campus and knowing people's names. I also just love being part of a college campus and taking advantage of everything from a niche dissertation presentation to a dance performance. 

And it's wonderful to be closer to my older son, who lives in Vermont. He already sent me a bright neon vest for the dog. And matching baseball caps.