Business University

University of Miami Names New COO

Nova Southeastern University’s Jacqueline A. Travisano will be UM’s Executive Vice President for Business and Finance and Chief Operating Officer.

Jacqueline A. TravisanoJacqueline A. Travisano, a business and financial expert in higher education currently at Nova Southeastern University, has been named executive vice president for business and finance and chief operating officer of the University of Miami.

At NSU, Travisano – whose career encompasses 26 years of service leadership at higher education and nonprofit organizations – oversees assets in excess of $1.3 billion and an annual operating budget of $625 million.

In her new position, Travisano will be responsible for all financial functions including accounting, financial reporting, budgeting and planning; treasury services, (including investing endowment, pension assets and working capital, credit strategies and external financial relationships); information technology; supply chain; campus planning; and facilities design and construction.

Travisano begins her new post on June 1.

Named one of South Florida Business Journal’s Influential Business Women of 2014, Travisano will also oversee campus and facilities management; emergency preparedness; parking; research administration; auxiliary operations including on-campus retail; entertainment and dining facilities; and human resources.

“Jackie fills a critically important role at the University of Miami that is in direct response to the ambitious goals we’ve established as we move toward our centennial, which is less than a decade away. She will be an integral member of our leadership team who will have a positive impact on the future of our university,” said UM President Julio Frenk, adding that the University found the ideal candidate for the position “right in our own backyard.”

“Dr. Travisano has a strong track record as a successful agent of change,” said Richard D. Fain, chairman and CEO of Royal Caribbean Cruises, who chairs UM’s Board of Trustees. “I am confident that she will be a strong and energetic leader at the U.”

“I am grateful and humbled by the opportunity to join the University of Miami, one of the top research universities in the country,” said Travisano. “This is such an exciting time for the University, and I look forward to celebrating many successes as a member of the ‘Cane family.”

David Ertel, chief financial officer and chief strategy officer for health affairs at UM, will continue to serve as interim senior vice president and chief financial officer until Travisano assumes her duties.

Travisano has served as NSU’s Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer since 2011, setting the overall direction, management, and effective administrative operations of the university in support of its mission, core values, and Vision 2020 initiative. NSU is a private not-for-profit university with more than 23,000 students and graduate programs in medicine, dentistry, optometry, pharmacy, law, nursing, education, and business.

Immediately prior to joining Nova Southeastern University, Travisano served as vice president for business affairs and chief financial officer at St. John’s University in Queens, New York.

In 2015, the 1,000 Plus Club for Cancer Research recognized her as Woman of the Year. That same year, she was named Student of the Year by the NSU Abraham S. Fischler College of Education, where she earned a doctorate in Higher Education Leadership.

Three years ago, the National Diversity Council honored her with its Glass Ceiling Award, and in 2013 and 2014 the Boys and Girls Club of Broward County recognized her as one of Broward’s Top 100 Women. In 2012, the Florida Diversity Council honored her as one of the state’s most powerful and influential women.

Travisano’s charitable works include service on the Board of Directors for the ARC of Broward County and the Honorary Board of the Special Olympics of Broward County, and service on the Board of Directors for the March of Dimes of Broward County. Travisano is also an active member of the Royal Dames for Cancer Research. In 2014, she served as chair of the 45th Annual Royal Dames Tiara Ball, raising more than $400,000 for Nova Southeastern University’s Rumbaugh-Goodwin Institute for Cancer Research.

In addition to her Doctorate in Higher Education Leadership from NSU, Travisano is a Certified Public Accountant and holds an M.B.A. from Chatham University and a B.S. in Business Administration from Robert Morris University.

She and her husband, Peter, live in Davie, Florida, and have four children and two grandchildren.