John Carrescia has been named Chief Financial Officer and Vice President for Finance and Business at Wagner College, a position he has filled on an interim basis since August. President Richard Guarasci announced the permanent appointment on Wednesday. Carrescia fills the vacancy left by the departure of former CFO Bill Mea. Below is the text of President Guarasci’s announcement:
Since Bill Mea’s departure in August, John has provided outstanding leadership. In this time, he has been responsible for overseeing the detailed and complicated process of refinancing the college’s debt from variable to fixed rate to ensure long-term savings, managing our budget and business functions, helping improve quality and function of our dining services and, significantly, successfully supervising all of Wagner’s major audits last fall. Previously, John served as the college’s controller and previously filled in as interim leader of finance and business during the illness of the late Tom Carroll.
Many of you, I am sure, know John well. He is not only a native Staten Islander but he is also a Wagner College graduate. He earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting here in 1999 and an MBA in finance in 2006.
After John graduated from Wagner in 1999, he began his career at KPMG in Manhattan, where he was an accountant in the assurance practice, working with clients in health care, higher education, government and non-profits, among others.
John returned home to Wagner in 2003, accepting a position as assistant controller in the business office. He was promoted to associate controller in 2006, then to controller in 2009. Then, in 2011, he was named assistant vice president and controller. Though his responsibilities grew each year, John has taught graduate and undergraduate courses since 2005 as an adjunct faculty member in our Department of Business Administration. He even earned an award as outstanding graduate teacher in one of those years.
In his new capacity, John will oversee the college’s Finance and Business Office, Bursar’s Office, Budgeting, Postal Center, Copy Center, Receiving Department, Dining Services and Bookstore, among other responsibilities.
Please join me in offering congratulations and best wishes to John Carrescia in this new role.