RIT appoints Chris Regis as senior vice president and chief financial officer

Rochester Institute of Technology President Bill Sanders has appointed Christine “Chris” Regis as senior vice president and chief financial officer, effective July 1. Regis joins RIT from Southern Methodist University, where she served for nearly two decades as senior vice president for business and finance and CFO.

Regis is a nationally recognized higher education finance leader with more than 30 years of experience overseeing complex financial and administrative operations at private and public universities. At SMU, she led institution‑wide financial, facilities, and administrative functions, managing a $900 million annual operating budget, supporting a $2.2 billion endowment, and directing more than $1 billion in capital projects.

“Chris brings the experience, judgment, and collaborative leadership that RIT needs as we continue advancing our Strategic Framework and investing in our future,” Sanders said. “She understands that strong financial stewardship and operational excellence are not ends in themselves — they are essential enablers for innovation and student success.”

Regis is especially known for driving operational excellence and long‑term financial sustainability. At SMU, she led a comprehensive administrative efficiency initiative that generated $20 million in recurring savings reinvested in academic and research priorities. Her work also included modernizing financial and administrative systems, strengthening enterprise risk management and cybersecurity, improving campus energy efficiency, and delivering clean external audits while maintaining stable credit ratings.

“I am honored to join RIT at such an important moment in its continued transformation,” Regis said. “RIT has a clear sense of purpose, a strong culture of innovation, and a deep commitment to student success. I believe financial strategy is most effective when it is transparent, data‑driven, and closely aligned with institutional priorities, and I look forward to working alongside the campus community to help advance that mission.”

She added: “I am honored to be selected. My visit to the RIT campus was incredible. It is clear there are many exciting things going on and that with President Sanders’s leadership, there is renewed excitement for the future.”

Regis has worked closely with presidents, provosts, deans, and boards throughout her career to align financial planning with academic goals, support new revenue streams, and navigate periods of change. “Her leadership approach emphasizes collaboration, accountability, and reinvestment in people and programs that deliver measurable outcomes,” added Sanders.

Regis earned a Master of Business Administration degree from Western New Mexico University and a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting from New Mexico State University. A certified public accountant, she has also been recognized nationally for her leadership in higher education finance.

Regis and her husband, Todd, have one daughter and two grandsons. She noted that she has strong ties to Rochester, where she was born before moving away as a child. She continued to visit extended family regularly throughout the years who still reside in the region.

Regis succeeds Jim Watters, who has served RIT with distinction and whose leadership helped guide the university through significant growth and change. Regarding Watters’s transition, Sanders said: “I am deeply grateful for Jim’s service, and I know you join me in thanking him for his exemplary leadership.” Watters will take a sabbatical beginning in July and will assist with work related to the RIT Global Delivery Corporation.