Fiscal Services

Dan Stephens joins George Mason as vice president for finance

Lauren Reuscher — Mon, 25 Nov 2024 18:39:43 +0000

Dan Stephens joins George Mason as vice president for finance Lauren Reuscher Mon, 11/25/2024 - 13:39

Dan Stephens has been named vice president for finance at ��, effective December 4, following a national search. Stephens will succeed Sharon Heinle, who will retire in January 2025.

Reporting to Deb Dickenson, executive vice president for finance and administration, the vice president for finance is a key part of George Mason’s financial leadership team, providing strategic oversight of financial transactions, accounting, budget, procurement, and compliance.

Dan Stephens will serve as ��'s vice president for finance. Photo provided

“We are delighted to welcome Dan to our team,” Dickenson said. “His extensive experience is a perfect match for the opportunities and challenges our university faces, as we continue our pursuit of additional revenue sources and enhanced efficiency, while working to improve funding equity and develop a new budget model.”

Stephens comes to George Mason with more than 35 years of senior financial leadership experience. He most recently served as the chief financial officer of the University of West Georgia Foundations, after seven years as vice president for finance and administration for Illinois State University. Stephens has also served in senior financial officer roles at the University of North Texas System, University of Idaho, Central Michigan University, and with two private institutions, in addition to his private-sector experience.

Stephens takes on the role from Heinle, who has been an integral part of George Mason’s Fiscal Services since she arrived as controller in 2020. Assuming her current role as vice president for finance in 2022, Heinle led significant improvements in the university’s financial reporting, transparency, and modernization of systems and processes, including the successful redesign of its Chart of Accounts.

“I would also like to thank Sharon for her tremendous impact on George Mason over the last five years,” Dickenson said. “She has been a respected and collaborative leader for so many across our university, and we are in a better place due to her leadership.”

Stephens and Heinle will share a period of overlap to ensure a smooth transition and continuity of operations.

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Faculty and Staff News

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Christopher Wagaman is the June Employee of the Month

Colleen Rich — Mon, 03 Jun 2024 12:28:01 +0000

Christopher Wagaman is the June Employee of the Month Colleen Rich Mon, 06/03/2024 - 08:28

Christopher (Chris) Wagaman has supported travel at �� for more than 10 years. Currently the travel manager in Fiscal Services, he is recognized as the June Employee of the Month for his dedication, commitment, and integrity.

President Washington with June Employee of the Month Chris Wagaman. Photo by Ayman Rashid/Office of University Branding

His colleagues describe Wagaman as a professional and knowledgeable leader—”Chris always makes sure we exude confidentiality and professionalism,” one commented.

“‘He is the guru of the Mason Finance Gateway!’” said Heather Strange, former fiscal learning and engagement director. “Throughout my seven years of working with Chris, I have seen him grow into a great manager as his team expanded and adopted new technology.”

“Chris has assisted hundreds of students, faculty, and staff as they navigate through the complicated travel reimbursement process. He consistently uses out-of-the-box thinking and ingenuity and that guides him daily in all that he does,” said Becky Klein, Wagaman’s supervisor and associate director of purchasing operations in Fiscal Services.

Clifford Shore, chief procurement officer of Fiscal Services, shared, “A recent communication from another department stated the following, ‘I want to thank Chris's team in travel. They are so incredible, helpful, and professional. Led by his leadership, they are absolutely the best George Mason has to offer.’ I think this provides a great summary of the level of customer service, knowledge, and leadership that Chris brings to his job.”

How did you come to Mason:

I first started as a temporary employee for the Accounts Payable team. Then I applied for the travel technician position that opened.

Best day on the job:

My best day on the job was the day I knew I got the promotion to George Mason's Travel Office Manager position.

What do you like best about working at Mason:

I like the proximity to downtown Fairfax City, the numerous events held by George Mason, and the work/life flexibility provided here.

What do you like to do when you’re not working:

I like to travel, camp, and see live music in my off time.

Jobs at George Mason

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Human Resources

Office Supply Swap is a staple of sustainability at Mason

Lauren Reuscher — Thu, 18 Apr 2024 13:22:38 +0000

Office Supply Swap is a staple of sustainability at Mason Lauren Reuscher Thu, 04/18/2024 - 09:22

They say one person’s trash is another person’s treasure. On a college campus, that treasure could be a stack of three-ring binders or sticky notes collecting dust in the office supply closet.

The Office Supply Swap gives new use to unneeded supplies, conserving resources and supporting Mason's zero waste goals. Photo by Getty

Someone else might need those supplies—and need them urgently. Jessica Adams, assistant director of knowledge management for fiscal learning and engagement at ��, remembers when a former colleague approached her with a last-minute purchasing crisis. The department was hosting a conference and organizers realized the day before that they needed additional supplies.

The commonwealth’s supply vendor policies are not always conducive to last-minute purchases, according to Adams. “I offered what advice I could from my place in Fiscal Services and asked if she checked with other offices to see what supplies they had available,” Adams said.

This last-minute request sparked an idea that had been on Adams’ mind for quite some time: Mason needed an office supply exchange, where departments could quickly and easily seek out or repurpose extra or unused supplies.

Adams shared the idea with her colleagues on the Staff Senate, and it took off from there. The Office Supply Swap launched on Microsoft Teams in Spring 2023, thanks to the efforts of the senate and University Sustainability.

April Lopez, part of the Staff Senate’s Environmental Justice and Sustainability Committee, took the lead in creating the online community. Lopez has worked as an administrative assistant at Mason since 2019 in the Division of Special Education and disAbility Research in the College of Education and Human Development.

“We realized that with new collaboration tools like Microsoft Teams and an increase in familiarity with community groups like Buy Nothing, we could get this going with very minimal input and no additional storage space requirements,” Lopez said.

The supply swap is part of the larger Greener Mason Community on Microsoft Teams, where the Mason Nation can share ideas and collaborate on topics related to sustainability. Illustration by Getty

The supply swap channel is open to all Mason faculty and staff and sits within the larger Greener Mason Community on Teams, which covers a range of sustainability topics at Mason: recycling, plastics reduction, living landscape, and even environment and climate-related reading and listening recommendations. The group offers a place for the Mason Nation to connect and learn.

The rules for the Office Supply Swap are simple: faculty and staff post unneeded items on the Teams channel. If another department needs the items, they can comment and arrange pickup. If someone needs an item, they can ask if anyone has a surplus. All items must remain university property—personal items and personal use of items are not allowed. Technology and furniture items should not be offered in the swap; they should go through existing surplus procedures.

The supply exchange echoes one of Mason’s core values: We are careful stewards.

“There are financial savings in not buying new when there are things already at the university that can be reused,” Lopez said. Repurposing and reallocating supplies also supports Mason’s zero waste goals.

Adams is thrilled that the supply swap is thriving. “The idea needed to get to the right people, at the right time,” Adams said. “April Lopez is the real hero with execution. She has been the biggest catalyst in bringing the Greener Mason Community to life and has built it into what it is today.”

Lopez hopes that the project helps people recognize that small actions support sustainability at Mason.

“I hope that the Office Supply Swap helps us recognize the abundance we already have, even if we’re just talking about paperclips, three-ring binders, and suspension files,” Lopez said. “In our cabinets and desk drawers, we already have items that the university could use for years to come.”