POTSDAM -- After conducting a national search for Clarkson’s next chief financial officer, the college has awarded the position to Robert Cree

He will begin his duties in September. This appointment has the endorsement of the search committee that included Clarkson faculty and staff as well as members of the university Board of Trustees. Robert will also take on the role of Treasurer to the Board of Trustees.

As the current chief financial officer at Wells College in Aurora, N.Y., and through a prior range of roles at Ithaca College, Cree is extremely well versed in the intricacies of the New York State higher education financial environment as well as the national marketplace for colleges and universities, according to the press release announcing his appointment.

He holds degrees from SUNY Empire State College (B.S. Accounting) and Ithaca College (M.B.A). With career roles spanning the banking industry, private sector companies and higher education, Cree brings a wide range financial management experience including budgeting and financial planning, policy development and compliance and fund investment, the announcement said.

Clarkson’s current CFO James D. Fish, a 1979 Clarkson graduate, announced his plans to retire from the university last spring. He has been with Clarkson since 1990 and has been the CFO since 2010.