Business Officers’ Leadership Academy

Mentor Biographies

Laura J. Barnum

Laura J. Barnum joined the Buffalo State College community as vice president for finance and management in August 2018. She previously served as associate vice president for resource planning at the University at Buffalo (UB), a position she held since 2013. Prior to that she was senior associate vice provost in UB’s Office of Academic Planning and Budget.

As Vice President for Finance and Management at Buffalo State, Ms. Barnum currently has oversight of Financial Operations & Comptroller including Student Accounts, Financial Management, Accounts Payable, Accounting, Travel and Financial Reporting; Administrative Services including Procurement & Contract Services, the Copy Center, Mail, Facilities Stock Room, Inventory Services, Parking Services, and Events Management; Facilities and Campus Planning; Human Resource Services including Employee Relations, Payroll, and Benefits Administration, Environmental Health & Safety and Emergency Planning; Internal Controls and Compliance, Sponsored Programs, and University Police Department.

She also serves as the Research Foundation Campus Operations Manager, Executive Director of the Buffalo State College Housing Corporation, President of the BSCR Corporation and serves as the CFO of the Buffalo State College Foundation.

Carol M. Bishop

Carol M. Bishop is the Vice President for Finance and Administration at SUNY Delhi.

She has worked in higher education for over 20 years, beginning at SUNY Delhi as the College Accountant (revenue accounting) and accepting progressive responsibilities until becoming Vice President in 2011. From fall 2011 to spring 2016 she also served as the “Shared” Vice President for Business and Finance with SUNY Cobleskill. She currently oversees Computer Information Systems, Human Resources, Facilities, Student Financial Services and Campus Business Office Operations, which includes Accounting, Accounts Payable, Purchasing, Travel, Contracts and Internal Control. Carol also serves on Delhi’s Auxiliary Services Corporation Board of Directors as Treasurer.

Bishop earned her B.S. in Business Economics at SUNY Oneonta and is a CPA licensed in the State of New York.

Todd D. Foreman

Todd D. Foreman is the Vice President for Administration and Finance at the University of Albany. Foreman is responsible for all campus financial management and budgeting activities. He also oversees campus physical plant operations, capital construction, procurement, human resources, and environmental health and sustainability programs.

Foreman comes to UAlbany from SUNY Oneonta, where he was most recently Vice President for Finance and Administration, overseeing finance, business services, information technology, facilities, sustainability, auxiliary services, sponsored funds and foundation finance. Before joining SUNY Oneonta in 1993, he worked in telecommunications for both First Albany Corporation and General Electric.

Foreman holds a master’s degree in advanced technologies and a bachelor’s telecommunications, from SUNY Institute of Technology, and an associate’s degree in electrical engineering technology from Mohawk Valley Community College. In 2013, Foreman completed the Harvard Graduate School of Education Institute for Management and Leadership.

Wendy C. Gilman

Wendy C. Gilman earned an S.B. in Economics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and an M.S. in Operations Research and Statistics from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Her early career included stints as a high school math teacher, contract analyst for a federal procurement agency, and work with small businesses and school districts. Ms. Gilman has worked in public higher education since 1994, starting as a budget analyst at SUNY System Administration and eventually becoming Assistant Vice Chancellor for Budget, Policy, and Analysis. She has served as the Vice President for Business and Finance and RF Operations Manager at SUNY Cobleskill since 2016; in March 2018, she also began serving as the Executive Director for the SUNY Cobleskill Foundation.

Michelle Halstead

Michele Halstead began her career at SUNY New Paltz in 1990 as assistant director for accounting services. She was promoted to director of accounting services in 1999, to assistant vice president for Administration in 2002, then to vice president in 2013.

Michele oversees all aspects of state procurement, accounting and budget, payroll, internal control, facilities operations and design & construction, sustainability, information technology & telecommunications, environmental health & safety, emergency management, conference services, food service and the campus bookstore.

Michele holds a bachelor of arts in economics from UAlbany and a bachelor of science in accounting from SUNY New Paltz.

Josee M. Larochelle

Josee M. Larochelle is the Vice President for Administration and Finance at SUNY Plattsburgh, holds the position of Treasurer of College Auxiliary Services, and serves as the President’s Designee to the Research Foundation as Operations Manager. Additionally, she is currently an officer to the system wide SUBOA Executive Board. Prior to joining SUNY Plattsburgh in July of 2017, she served for 8 years at San Jose State University – the 4^th largest campus in the California State University system with 33,000 students – as Director, Associate Vice President, and eventual Interim Vice President for Finance and Administration.

Larochelle received her BA in Economics from UCLA and her MBA with distinction from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. She is a member of the National Association of Chief University Business Officers (NACUBO).

Gregory O’Connor

Gregory O’Connor is Vice President for Administration and Chief Financial Officer at Farmingdale State College. In addition to the budget and accounting functions of the Finance Office, Mr. O’Connor oversees key administrative functions including Capital Planning, Human Resources, Information Technology, Physical Plant Operations, Student Financial Services, Sponsored Programs Administration, Legal Affairs, and Environmental Health and Safety.

Prior to this role, Greg was the Director of New Ventures at the SUNY Research Foundation where he was the principal contact for campuses seeking strategic direction and support for industry partnerships, real estate development, and collaborative research partnerships.

He has served on several boards including the Broad Hollow Bioscience Park, Downstate Technology Center, Inc., Long Island High Technology Incubator, and the Accelerate New York Seed Fund.

Mr. O’Connor holds an MBA in Finance from the University at Albany and a BA from Binghamton University. He currently resides in Garden City, NY with his family.