Paul S. Dworkis Appointed Chief Financial Officer of Berklee

Dear Berklee community,

I’m pleased to announce the appointment of Paul S. Dworkis as executive vice president and chief financial officer (CFO), effective April 15. Collaborating with academic and administrative colleagues across Berklee, Paul will provide vision, strategic and operational leadership, and oversight of the finance, accounting, budget, real estate, facilities, risk management, emergency management, and business services areas. Paul brings more than 40 years of experience to this role, with a diverse background in higher education, publishing, and finance, and will serve as a key leader in growing the sustainable impact and scale of Berklee's global network.  

When he accepted the position, Paul shared, “Berklee is truly special—an institution whose mission, creativity, and global impact are unmatched. The opportunity to contribute to such a vibrant and visionary community was too meaningful to pass up. I’m honored to join Berklee at this exciting moment and to help support its continued growth and innovation.”

Paul is a strategy-driven, people-first leader with extensive expertise in operations, technology, international business, and facilities and administrative services. He comes to Berklee from Emerson College, where he served as vice president for administration and finance and CFO for five years until retiring in January. At Emerson, Paul led the college’s financial, administration, and operational functions in support of its academic, community-focused, and mission-oriented goals; and oversaw facilities, public safety, risk management functions, and auxiliary services, including dining operations. Paul’s team provided analysis, data, and research to support decision-making toward achieving the college’s objectives and build financial strength and capacity to meet Emerson's capital, real estate, and campus needs. Paul cofounded and cosponsored Emerson’s partnership with the City of Boston and the Parks Department to activate a portion of the Boston Common, launching the successful unCommon Stage that served 100,000 visitors in its inaugural season. He also served as Emerson’s primary liaison and board member of the Boston Consortium, and as a board member of EdHEALTH.

Prior to Emerson, Paul served as vice president for finance and CFO at the University of Maryland for six years, providing financial and strategic expertise to leadership in support of the university’s academic, research, public service, and administrative goals and objectives. Paul collaborated with the office of the provost on the university’s administrative modernization program, a successful effort to drive operational excellence and identify and create efficiencies that led to significant upgrades to the university’s budget model and development and implementation of a cost of education analytical model. Additionally, Paul served as associate vice president of finance and administration at Columbia University in New York, where he held several senior administrative and financial roles, including serving as CFO for the Student and Administrative Services division. Among his key responsibilities, he had primary financial oversight of the university’s $500 million fringe benefits pool, which funded employee benefits such as health care, retirement, and tuition assistance. Prior to his work in higher education, Paul held a number of leadership positions during his 20-year tenure at Newsweek in New York, including CFO and senior vice president, controller/vice president, and assistant controller.  

Paul holds a Master of Business Administration in accounting from Bernard M. Baruch College, City University of New York; and a Bachelor of Science in business management from Fairleigh Dickinson University in Teaneck, New Jersey.

This appointment is the result of a comprehensive search conducted by an internal committee, assisted by search firm Russell Reynolds Associates. I’d like to thank the members of the committee for committing their valuable time and providing key input for this important search. 

I’d also like to recognize and thank F. John Case for his steady leadership and guidance, which have been instrumental during this interim period. John joined us in May 2023 on an interim advisory basis and has fully immersed himself at Berklee—diving into large-scale finance initiatives, growing and mentoring the team, and working collaboratively across the organization. John will work closely with Paul to ensure a smooth transition during the next two months. We are deeply grateful for all that John has contributed to Berklee during his time with us.

Please join me in congratulating Paul on this appointment and welcoming him to the Berklee community.

Thanks,

Jim Lucchese
President