Purdue trustees name Chris Ruhl CFO and treasurer, announce resolution honoring Bill Sullivan

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — The Purdue University Board of Trustees has named Chris Ruhl chief financial officer and treasurer, effective Jan. 1. Ruhl also was elected Friday (Dec. 6) to serve as treasurer of the Board of Trustees.

As treasurer and CFO, Ruhl will be charged with managing the university’s budget of more than $2 billion and overseeing all financial affairs, business services, human resource services and internal audit functions. He will report directly to Purdue President Mitch Daniels and the board and serve on the university’s executive leadership team.

Ruhl will succeed Bill Sullivan, who has served in the position since 2014 and announced in June his retirement effective at the end of 2019.

 “Chris’s performance over the past two years has validated his readiness for this vital position,” Daniels said. “His commitment and dedication to this university make him the ideal choice for this role, and I look forward to continuing to work with him during what will certainly be a seamless transition.”

Ruhl has served as senior vice president for strategic initiatives at Purdue University and CFO for Purdue University Global since July 2017. He came to Purdue from Ivy Tech Community College, where he was CFO and general counsel. Ruhl also served as director of the Indiana Office of Management and Budget (OMB), director of the Indiana State Budget Agency, and policy director and general counsel for the Indiana OMB under then Gov. Daniels. He holds a Juris Doctorate from the Valparaiso University School of Law and a bachelor’s degree in finance from the Michigan State University Eli Broad College of Business.

Trustees also announced a resolution of appreciation for Sullivan, outgoing CFO and treasurer. Sullivan was instrumental in streamlining the university’s financial reporting and budgeting processes as well as the establishment of the first systemwide job family structure.

He played a lead role in the acquisition of Kaplan University for the purposes of creating Purdue Global and worked collaboratively with public and private partners toward the successful launch of projects such as the Union Club Hotel remodeling, the redeveloped State Street corridor and the connected Discovery Park District, needed student housing projects, and an updated campus master plan. 

Writer: Tim Doty, 765-496-2571, doty2@purdue.edu

Source: Chris Ruhl, ruhlc@purdue.edu