Kelly Fox to Depart Georgia Tech, Join Rice University

Kelly Fox has announced she will join Rice University as vice president, Finance and Administration.

Fox joined Georgia Tech in early 2020 and, during that time, crafted a new Administration and Finance (A&F) strategic plan to better serve campus stakeholders, using data and a high-touch customer service approach. She also built an A&F staff culture council to bring the voices of staff to campus leadership, to connect to colleagues, and address concerns. She created a strong new team by welcoming leaders in Infrastructure and Sustainability, Human Resources, and Information Technology who will continue to drive change in service and quality; helped reform the Institute budget process; and built an Administrative Services Center, set to launch in October, to substantially reduce the administrative burden for all campus units.

“Kelly has been a transformative leader at Georgia Tech, cultivating a culture of trust, excellence, and accountability that will have a lasting impact. She has led by example and has been a trusted and supportive colleague to me and the rest of our leadership team,” said President Ángel Cabrera. “Kelly joined us only one month before the onset of the pandemic, and I feel fortunate to have had her experience, wisdom, positive attitude, and steady hand on my team. I will miss Kelly, but I find some solace in the fact that she will be serving and making a difference at another excellent university and under a member of the Georgia Tech extended family, Rice University President Reginald DesRoches, former chair of the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, and honorary alum of Georgia Tech.”

At Rice University, Fox will be responsible for financial and administrative oversight of the university to include oversight of financial planning and policies, financial reporting, debt and cash management, financial systems, non-academic budgeting, compliance, capital markets, accounting and audit, construction, facilities, security, housing and food services, and human resources.

Before joining Georgia Tech, Fox led Strategic Resources and Support for the University of Colorado Boulder, guiding the financial management and planning activities of the $1.8 billion university budget. Prior to that, she served as vice president and chief financial officer for the four-campus University of Colorado System. In all, Fox has more than 20 years of working in public higher education.

Fox’s last day at Tech is Friday, Aug. 12. Details about interim leadership and the search for a successor will be announced soon.