Chris Regis appointed as Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
Dear RIT community,
I am pleased to announce that Christine “Chris” Regis has been appointed Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer at RIT. Chris joins us from Southern Methodist University, where she has served for nearly two decades as Senior Vice President for Business and Finance, and Chief Financial Officer.
Chris is a seasoned higher education leader with more than 30 years of experience helping complex institutions strengthen their financial foundations while improving service to students, faculty, and staff. At SMU, she led university-wide financial and administrative operations, overseeing a $900 million annual budget, supporting a $2.2 billion endowment, and managing more than $1 billion in capital projects. She is especially recognized for driving operational excellence — most notably leading an administrative efficiency initiative that generated $20 million in recurring savings reinvested in academic and research priorities.
Her record reflects a strong alignment with RIT’s priorities. Chris has modernized financial and administrative systems, strengthened enterprise risk management and cybersecurity, improved energy efficiency to among the lowest costs per square foot in higher education, and delivered clean external audits year after year while maintaining stable credit ratings. She is known as a collaborative partner to presidents, provosts, deans, and boards helping institutions adapt thoughtfully to change while protecting their mission and momentum.
I am confident that Chris’s experience, judgment, and values will serve RIT well as we continue advancing our Strategic Framework and investing in the people, programs, and facilities that define our future. She shares our belief that strong financial stewardship and operational excellence are essential enablers for innovation and student success. Chris earned her MBA from Western New Mexico University and a Bachelor of Science in accounting from New Mexico State University.
On a personal note, Chris has strong ties to Rochester. She was born here before moving away as a child and she continued to visit extended family regularly throughout the years who still reside in the region. Chris and her husband, Todd, have one daughter and two grandsons.
I would like to extend my gratitude to the Search Advisory Committee led by Phil Castleberry, vice president for Advancement and Doreen Edwards, dean of the Kate Gleason College of Engineering. They were assisted on the national search by the firm Issacson, Miller.
Chris, whose tenure begins July 1, succeeds Jim Watters, whose steady leadership and deep commitment to RIT have left a lasting imprint on our university. Jim has helped guide RIT through growth, change, and challenge with integrity and a focus on long-term sustainability. I am deeply grateful for his service, and I know you join me in thanking him for his exemplary leadership. Jim will take a sabbatical starting in July and assist in working with the RIT Global Delivery Corporation.
Please join me in welcoming Chris Regis to RIT and in thanking Jim Watters for his many years of dedicated service.
Sincerely,
Bill
--
William H. Sanders
President, Rochester Institute of Technology