Gutmann appoints executive VP

University President Amy Gutmann announced the appointment of Craig Carnaroli as her new executive vice president yesterday, filling one vacancy in the slew of top administrative spots that remain open as the school year commences.

Former Vice President for Finance and University Treasurer Carnaroli will start his new post immediately, now working directly under Gutmann as a link between the various administrative departments at Penn.

"He has great financial expertise and great collaborative skills," Gutmann said of Carnaroli.

Describing himself as "very thrilled, very delighted and very appreciative" of the opportunity, Carnaroli highlighted some of his upcoming goals as EVP.

"I do think that there can be better integration among some of the units" in the University, he said.

Recruiting able professionals to fill some of the open administrative positions that remain, and working to further Gutmann's Strategic Plan for Penn are also among Carnaroli's initial priorities.

Carnaroli, who has been at Penn for almost 4 1/2 years, originally spent time on campus as an undergraduate.

"This is my second education at Penn," he said. "It has been as exciting as the first one ... and a lot of fun."

With the exception of a brief yearlong stint by Clifford Stanley, the position of EVP has been empty since current Franklin & Marshall University President John Fry vacated the position in 2002. The post was created when Fry was appointed.

"I think that really good EVPs care about who their clients are and in my mind the clients always are first and foremost the students," Fry said, commenting on what he thought made him successful.

Fry also said it is the EVP's responsibility to foster and promote the president's agenda and priorities.

You have to "really identify what the overarching strategies are and ... orient everything you do around them."

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