Appointment of Warren Petrofsky as Dean of Administration and Finance

Dear colleagues,

I am pleased to announce that Warren Petrofsky has been appointed Dean of Administration and Finance of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, effective April 20.

Warren joins us from Cornell University’s College of Arts & Sciences, where he serves as Associate Dean of Administration and Chief Administrative Officer. In that role, he serves as a strategic partner to the Dean and leads a comprehensive administrative portfolio spanning finance and budget, capital planning, human resources, information technology and data analytics, research administration, and auxiliary operations. He has worked closely with faculty leadership and university colleagues to align resources with academic priorities and strengthen long-term financial sustainability.

Throughout his career, Warren has led significant administrative transformation within complex, decentralized Arts and Sciences environments. At Cornell, he has partnered with faculty and academic leaders to address structural financial challenges through multi-year modeling, transparent budget processes, and data-informed decision-making. He has overseen the redesign of administrative services, strengthened research support, and advanced the modernization of business and data systems. He also serves on Cornell’s executive steering committee for a university-wide initiative to modernize core financial and administrative systems, helping guide one of the institution’s most consequential operational efforts.

Earlier, at the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Arts & Sciences, Warren held senior leadership roles that included oversight of major capital initiatives and organizational redesign across facilities and computing. Across institutions, he has demonstrated an ability to translate strategy into disciplined execution while maintaining close partnership with chairs, faculty, and staff.

Warren is deeply grounded in the academic enterprise. He earned his A.B. in Classics from the University of Pennsylvania, summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa, and later completed an M.A. in Classics at Brown University before receiving his MBA from the Wharton School. He has spent his professional life in Arts and Sciences, shaped by a clear commitment to the teaching and research mission that defines our work. He understands both the intellectual foundations of the liberal arts and the administrative systems required to sustain them.

The role of Dean of Administration and Finance is central to the work ahead. This is a moment that calls for disciplined financial stewardship, thoughtful implementation of a reimagined administrative model, and continued modernization of our systems and processes in service of teaching and research. Warren’s experience leading administrative transformation within a decentralized Arts and Sciences environment closely parallels the work underway in the FAS. He brings strategic judgment, analytical rigor, and a collaborative leadership style well suited to this pivotal time.

Throughout his career, Warren has emphasized transparency, clarity in communication, and investment in staff development. He approaches change with steadiness and purpose, and with deep respect for the mission that unites our faculty, researchers, staff, and students. I am confident that he will be a strong partner to me and to our community.

I am grateful to the members of the search committee for their careful and dedicated work, and to Mary Ann Bradley for her steady and principled leadership during this period of transition.

Please join me in welcoming Warren to the Faculty of Arts and Sciences. I look forward to the work we will undertake together.

Sincerely,
Hopi

Hopi Hoekstra
Edgerley Family Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences
C. Y. Chan Professor of Arts and Science
Xiaomeng Tong and Yu Chen Professor of Life Sciences