Campus Life has announced that Lina Vargas, formerly senior director of Campus Life’s Finance Service Center, has been named to the new position of chief business officer (CBO) and assistant vice president (AVP) of Campus Life. She reports directly to David Clark, vice president of Campus Life. In this role, Vargas serves as an important thought partner for Enku Gelaye, senior vice president and dean of Campus Life, and other members of the organization’s executive leadership team.

The change is part of a realignment of Campus Life leadership to better prioritize two strategic goals – facilitating student flourishing and staff flourishing.

“This restructuring repositions my team’s functional areas to best support student flourishing activities and to strengthen strategic leadership for Campus Life staff member success,” according to Clark. “At the same time, it allows us to engage additional experienced and diverse voices to lead essential areas of Campus Life’s work.”

As senior director of the Finance Service Center, Vargas oversaw financial operations for Campus Life, which operates on a $100 million budget and engages 300 regular and 600 student employees. The center’s staff of 10 provides financial support for a diverse range of Campus Life operations – including programmatic departments, auxiliaries, and Emory’s self-funded student insurance program. Financial operations span areas such as Housing Operations, Campus Dining, and the Emory Bookstore, as well as funds for student government associations and more than 600 other student organizations.

As CBO/AVP, Vargas continues to oversee budgets and finance. In her new role, she will also provide leadership to Campus Life Tech Services, the EmoryCard Office, and the Emory Bookstore’s partnership with Barnes and Noble. Vargas remains a key partner in creating and executing Human Resources strategy and support services for staff.

“This realignment enables organizations that are primarily staff-oriented to be better positioned to enhance the services, growth, and development for our outstanding Campus Life team as we continue to deliver exceptional support services to Emory’s extraordinary student body,” said Clark.

“Lina brings a remarkable track record and an impressive range of experience to this vital new position,” Clark added. “She is far and away the best person for the job.”