The university has announced a realignment within the Office of the Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer designed to improve long-term financial oversight and cross-campus coordination between Ithaca and Weill Cornell Medicine in New York City.

The Cornell Board of Trustees on Jan. 26 approved the establishment of two new vice president for finance/chief financial officer roles, one for the Ithaca campus and one at Weill Cornell Medicine. Effective Jan. 29, Simon Allen, vice president for finance, has been appointed to the Ithaca role, and Tom Stokes, interim vice president for finance, has been appointed to the Weill Cornell Medicine role in an interim capacity.

Both positions report to Christopher J. Cowen, executive vice president and chief financial officer, with Stokes also reporting to Dr. Robert A. Harrington, provost for medical affairs and the Stephen and Suzanne Weiss Dean of Weill Cornell Medicine.

“With these changes, we will ensure tighter integration and coordination of financial operations and management across our campuses, helping to advance our shared commitment to One Cornell,” Cowen said.

Allen joined Cornell in 2018 after working as a real estate investment professional for several asset management firms. He has previously served as associate vice president for asset management and financial strategy and in 2022 was named vice president for finance, playing an important role overseeing many aspects of Ithaca campus financial operations, including activities at Cornell AgriTech and Cornell Tech.

As vice president for finance/chief financial officer for the Ithaca campus, Allen has universitywide responsibility for asset management; recordkeeping of deeds, mortgages and other real estate instruments; the university controller; treasury (including debt); tax; Student Health Insurance Plan; and developing, implementing and monitoring accounting and financial related policies and procedures that have universitywide impact.

Stokes has guided various aspects of financial operations at Weill Cornell Medicine since joining the institution in 2010, including as chief financial officer and chief operating officer of Weill Cornell Imaging at NewYork-Presbyterian. Most recently, he has overseen Weill Cornell Medicine’s financial operations and reporting as interim chief financial officer, while also serving as chief operating officer and chief financial officer of Weill Cornell Medicine’s Physician Organization.

As interim vice president for finance/chief financial officer at Weill Cornell Medicine, Stokes is responsible for Weill Cornell Medicine units (including Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar) including financial analysis, budgeting, risk management and insurance, procurement and contract management, bursar, cash management, financial transaction centers, financial systems and information delivery, general accounting, payroll, sponsored financial services, and the controller.

“Please join me in congratulating our colleagues on these new leadership positions,” Cowen said in a Jan. 30 letter to finance staff. “I look forward to continuing to work closely with Simon and Tom in these newly defined roles.”