Julee A. Gard

Julee Gard is the Vice President for Administration & Finance and Chief Financial Officer at the University of St. Francis in Joliet, IL.  Serving in this role since 2016, Julee is the senior administrator responsible for Finance, Treasury Operations, Human Resources, Grant Administration, Facility Operations, Security, and Risk Management.

She started her career as an auditor in Deloitte’s Minneapolis and Los Angeles offices.  After public accounting, she worked in the insurance, consulting, telecommunication, professional services, social services, and manufacturing industries focusing on finance, risk management, budgeting/forecasting, and business process improvements.  Her technical accounting expertise earned her the unofficial title of “Julee GAAP” while working in the global controllership department at Accenture.  Julee has previously held Chief Financial Officer positions at Little Friends, Inc. in Naperville, IL, and Spectrum Technologies in Aurora, IL.

Julee is a regular co-presenter of “Financial Fundamentals for Presidents” at the Council of Independent College’s annual New Presidents Program.  She has also presented on improving higher education budgeting and financial reporting processes at the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities (ACCU) and the Association of Franciscan Colleges and Universities (AFCU) conferences.

She holds a B.A. in Accounting and M.B.A. from University of St. Thomas and is a Certified Public Accountant, Certified Management Accountant, and an Associate in Risk Management.  She is currently pursuing an Ed.D. in Higher Education Management at the University of Pennsylvania where her research is focused on the financial health and viability of small, private universities.   Julee is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Society for Human Resources Management.  Julee volunteers as a member of the Board of Directors of the Illinois Valley Chapter of the Red Cross and as a pianist at her local parish.  She, her husband, and their three college-aged children live in Naperville.