Chris Clifford, who has spent most of his career overseeing auxiliary services at colleges and universities, has been named associate vice president for business affairs and director of auxiliary services at the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford.
Clifford, who began his position today, June 16, is responsible for the overall administration and leadership of Pitt-Bradford’s auxiliary operations, including Dining Services, housing and auxiliary facilities, laundry and vending, the Panther Shop, Conference Services, and the Mail Center. He also will provide strategic planning and vision for financial, operational, marketing and facility development.
“We are thrilled to have Chris join the Pitt-Bradford community and are confident that he will continue the tradition of providing high quality, student-centered services and facilities to our campus,” said Rick Esch, vice president for business affairs, to whom Clifford will report.
Before arriving at Pitt-Bradford, Clifford served as vice president for budget and finance at Sul Ross State University in Alpine, Texas, a university similar in size to Pitt-Bradford, where he oversaw all of the university’s financial areas as well as dining and bookstore operations.
He also has experience working at large institutions. For eight years, Clifford served as the associate vice president in the Business and Auxiliary Services Division at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, where he supported 21,000 students, 23,000 employees and the UAB Health System, one of the five largest academic medical centers in the United States. At UAB, Clifford oversaw multiple areas, including UAB’s Educational Foundation, real estate, bookstore, parking and transit, physical security, and the school’s 8,600-seat Barstow Arena.
While at UAB, Clifford led real estate acquisitions valued at more than $60 million to implement the university’s master plan growth initiatives and served on the leadership team that launched a new $60 million student center for which he created events, including the first heavyweight boxing championship fight in the state of Alabama.
Clifford also served in leadership roles at Ohio University, West Virginia University at Parkersburg, and Mississippi State University and worked for nine years for ExxonMobil, including a three-year assignment in Hong Kong.
Clifford holds a Master of Business Administration from Dartmouth College and a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Mississippi State University. He and his wife, Kim, have three adult children. In his free time, he enjoys going to live music concerts, traveling – he’s been to 49 states and more than 55 countries – taking care of his dogs, skiing and hiking.