Hawley’s Experience as CFO Tapped for Interim Appointment at UCM

By Jeff Murphy, August 13, 2018

WARRENSBURG, MO – Helping to continue strong financial management at the University of Central Missouri, Roger Best, interim president, today announced the appointment of an Interim Chief Financial Officer to temporarily assume leadership duties in UCM’s Finance and Administration division. Wilbert “Bill” Hawley, Effingham, Ill., has accepted the interim appointment effective Aug. 16.

The hiring of Hawley enables the university to use his knowledge and experience to fill many of the responsibilities that were being handled by Best in his previous role as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. Best was named interim president Aug. 1, following President Chuck Ambrose’s announcement in late June that he has accepted a position with KnowledgeWorks in Cincinnati, Ohio. In his role as Interim CFO, Hawley will report directly to Best and serve as a senior administrative officer with top-level administrators reporting to the position representing Accounting Services, Budget and Finance, Human Resources, University Analytics and Institutional Research, Technology, and Facilities Planning and Operations.

“We are fortunate to have someone of Bill’s caliber join us for the year.  There are a number of important initiatives we need to complete, and his years of senior-level leadership and excellent experiences will provide the additional resources we need to continue the progress we’ve made,” Best said. “He will join a great team in Finance and Administration, and I am grateful for his willingness to serve in this interim capacity.”

Hawley spoke about his new position noting, “I appreciate the opportunity to work with the students, faculty and staff of UCM and am looking forward to continuing the initiatives in place to ensure the overall financial strength of the institution.”

His experience includes 12 years of service in the St. Louis area as CFO for GPS Healthcare Consultants, a healthcare consulting company that targets services for the post-acute continuum of care; and Assistant Vice President- Finance and Director of Budget Analysis for Rehabcare Group Inc., a provider of temporary healthcare staffing and therapy program management services.

Hawley most recently served as Director of Finance, responsible for day-to-day operations of the finance/accounting department, registration, supply chain for HSHS St. Anthony’s Memorial Hospital, a 133-bed regional healthcare provider in Effingham. In that capacity he was involved in strategic planning, policy formulation and decision making. He provided oversight in areas that include general accounting, including payroll and accounts payable, as well as financial planning analysis and reporting, including budget, reimbursement and decision support.

Hawley also worked in Des Moines, Iowa, as reimbursement specialist for Broadlawns Medical Center, a 200-bed county-owned hospital, and served as senior auditor at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Iowa, a fiscal intermediary for the Medicare program.

He was an instructor for graduate-level accounting and finance courses at the University of Phoenix in St. Louis, and an instructor for undergraduate business courses at East Central College in Union.
Hawley earned a Master of Business Administration degree with a concentration in accounting and a Bachelor of Science in Accounting degree from Southern Illinois University.