Two candidates remain for Vice President of Finance and Administration

Nicholls State University is looking at two potential candidates for a new position to replace Chief Financial Officer.

The new position, Vice President of Finance and Administration, will replace the Chief Financial Officer position and oversee additional departments. According to Nicholls President Bruce Murphy the selected candidate will not only take over the role of Chief Financial Officer, but also oversee additional departments such as: Auxiliary Services, Human Resources, Maintenance, Purchasing and the Nicholls Police Department.

After reviewing a total of 25 applicants for the position, the on-campus search committee narrowed the search down to ten candidates proceeded with Skype interviews. The committee gave Murphy their recommendations and he selected two finalists, Terry Braud, Jr. and Archie Chiasson III. The two candidates spoke at a public interview session on Monday.

Annette Arboneaux, director of human resources, said that the University of Louisiana system is required to follow a specific policy when conducting searches for certain positions, including vice presidents. At the interview session, audience members were able to ask questions once the candidates introduced themselves and elaborated on their qualifications.

Braud is from Gray and is a graduate of H.L. Bourgeois High School and Nicholls. He earned a bachelor’s of science in accounting and is licensed as a certified public accountant. Braud has over 32 years of financial experience working as an accountant as a controller in Vice President of Administration and currently as the Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer at Crossholdings Incorporated in Houma, where he also serves as the board of secretary and treasurer. He is a member of the American Institute of CPA’s and the society of Louisiana certified public accountants. He is also an active member and past president of the Terre Carnival Club, also known as the Krewe of Terreanians. Braud said he was also on the Vandebilt Catholic High School Advisory Council.

“I was on the council for about 12 years and served as president of that council for six years, so that gave me sort of insight into the education and budgeting-type process that our Universities and the high schools have to go through,” Braud said during the interview session.

Braud said he wants this position because finance and administration has been his lifelong career goal. He said he looks forward to being able to “draw the parallels from his previous experience” and bring that to the role he would have in this position. He said this change would give him the opportunity to “rejuvenate his juices” and apply what he already knows in a different way.

“Everyone that’s in place, I’m sure, has a vision,” Braud said. “I am trying to make my vision their vision, Dr. Murphy’s vision, the board of regions’ vision and sort of melt all of that into one big pot. We certainly have a task ahead, but I trust that the team I’m joining is very confident and I think we can get there.”

Chaisson is from Thibodaux and is also a Nicholls graduate. He graduated with a bachelor’s of science in management. He has years of experience with project management and administration including positions such as project manager for Picciola and Associates, coastal zone management and the parish administrator for the Lafourche Parish Government.

Chaisson is currently the public works director for the city of Thibodaux. He has completed $33 million in infrastructure improvement projects across Lafourche Parish. He led the parish in a successful recovery operation to the BP oil spill and was the chief architect of the Lafourche parish multi-year implementation plan for coastal restoration. He is also currently the president of the Nicholls State University Alumni Federation board of directors and is a past chairman of the Lafourche Chamber of Commerce board of directors. He also serves on the board of commissioners for the Central Lafourche ambulance service district.

“I’d like to think we left the parish in a better place than when we first walked up,” Chaisson said.

Chaisson said he strongly believes in teamwork and that he is willing to work closely with the staff. He admits the position will be a change for him, but his goal is to make sure the students are taken care of.

“Giving back is what government service has been about for me for the last, almost 10 years, working with and for the government,” Chaisson said. “It’s going to continue to be about public service for me and I think this role gives me the opportunity to continue that.”

Murphy will make the final decision based on input from the participants of the interviews and from the search committee. Murphy said the University has been without the position of CFO for about three or four months now. He said he would anticipate a decision would be made as soon as possible.

“We’ve taken that position from a very narrow focus on finance to a broader focus on finance and administration,” Murphy said. “One of the reasons I wanted to do that was to get a more strategic look from a university perspective.”