President Domenico Grasso has appointed Robert (Bobby) Hewlett III as vice president for finance at U-M, effective July 1.

Geoffrey Chatas, executive vice president and chief financial officer, made the announcement to employees via a message July 1.

Hewlett has a 14-year history with the University of Michigan. He has spent seven months as interim associate vice president for finance, and previously was controller at Michigan Medicine. 

Hewlett is an alumnus of the Stephen M. Ross School of Business, earning a bachelor’s degree in business administration and a master’s degree in accounting. Prior to his employment at U-M, Hewlett worked at PricewaterhouseCoopers. 

“Bobby’s financial expertise and experience, deep understanding of the university, and steady and proactive leadership make him an excellent choice for this position,” Chatas said in his employee message. “He has consistently demonstrated both sound judgment and an ability to move us forward.”

Hewlett will serve on Chatas’ senior leadership team. He will oversee a variety of areas in the finance organization, including purchasing, procurement, accounting, payroll, the external audited financial statements, internal controls, sponsored programs, real estate, tax management, treasury functions, financial planning and analysis, and enterprise strategic risk management.

The position is appointed as vice president, non-executive officer. This is a new type of designation approved by the Board of Regents in February. Employees with this title report directly to an executive officer or the president. They are not executive officers and do not have the same authority or responsibilities.

The Regents will formally acknowledge the appointment when they meet in September.