UofL names CFO, interim VP for Advancement

University of Louisville President Neeli Bendapudi has filled two vital roles on her leadership team, announcing Dan Durbin as vice president of finance/chief financial officer and Brad Shafer as interim vice president for university advancement. Both appointments were approved today by the UofL Board of Trustees.

Durbin has served as associate vice president for health affairs/chief financial officer for the UofL Health Sciences Center since May 2017. Bendapudi stressed that his appointment will help tie the university’s campuses together, streamlining administration and improving consistency among departments.

Durbin previously served as senior associate vice president for administration and finance at West Virginia University. He joined the WVU Division of Finance in 2006. Before joining the finance division, he held financial and administrative leadership positions at the WVU Health Sciences Center for nearly 20 years, ultimately becoming its director of budget and financial operations.

He earned his bachelor’s degree in accounting and finance from Glenville State College in Glenville, West Virginia, and his master’s in public administration from WVU.

Durbin also serves as a peer reviewer and evaluator for the Higher Learning Commission and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.

Shafer is currently head of business development and investor relations for Ramsey Quantitative Systems Inc., a specialty finance firm/hedge fund in Louisville. He also is principal and founder of BRS Consulting, a firm that provides fundraising, training and development search services.

He has 21 years of experience in higher education, most recently as vice president of development for the College Foundation at the University of Virginia. Previous roles include associate dean of advancement and executive director of the Kenan-Flagler Business School Foundation, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill; and director of estate and gift planning and professional outreach at Arizona State University Foundation.

He served six years in the United States Air Force Guard, was promoted three times and was honorably discharged. 

Shafer holds a bachelor of science in education and a master of education in higher education administration from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. He earned his juris doctor at the Creighton University School of Law.

While Shafer is serving in the interim role, the university will begin a national search for a permanent vice president for advancement.

“These positions are vital to the success of the University of Louisville,” Bendapudi said. “I am so pleased to have them join our leadership team. Dan and Brad are outstanding professionals, and they will play key roles in helping us shape the future of the university. They are hitting the ground running.”