February 10, 2003
Soderberg named vice chancellor for administration and finance
Contact: Kevin Hensil, khensil@passhe.edu
Mary Soderberg of Camp Hill has been named vice chancellor for administration and finance of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education.
Soderberg, who has served as executive director of the state House Democratic Appropriations Committee since 1992, will direct the Administration and Finance Division in the Office of the Chancellor. She will report directly to Chancellor Judy G. Hample.
“Ms. Soderberg will bring to the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education fifteen years of experience working with the legislature and the governor’s office in crafting state budgets,” Hample said. “Ms. Soderberg is an ardent steward of taxpayer dollars and an expert in setting fiscal priorities that advance critical public policy initiatives. Her skill and experience will be invaluable assets for the Chancellor’s office as we work to establish the State System as a leader among public university systems in the nation.”
The vice chancellor for administration and finance is responsible for developing policy and providing system-wide leadership in numerous areas, including financial planning, accounting, human resources management and development, capital planning and financing, procurement, investment programs and commercial banking, emergency management and security.
Soderberg joined the House Appropriations Committee staff in 1987, serving for five years as a senior financial adviser before being named executive director. In her current position, she coordinates the budget process on behalf of the House Democratic Caucus and negotiates with the governor’s office and legislative leaders on the Commonwealth’s annual budget. She also has been involved in the development of statewide policy initiatives to make government more accountable and effective while providing advice and counsel to committee members.
Previously, Soderberg was a presidential management intern with the U.S. Information Agency in Washington, D.C., where she negotiated contracts and budgets with non-profit organizations for the Fulbright Exchange and Youth Exchange programs. She also served as director of GUIDELINE, where she developed a telephone information and referral system for health and human services based at Mansfield University of Pennsylvania, and spent two years working for the Peace Corps in the Philippines.
Soderberg earned a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Wisconsin and a Masters in Public Administration from Pennsylvania State University. She also completed graduate work at Auburn University.
With more than 101,000 students, the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education is the largest provider of higher education in the Commonwealth. Its 14 universities offer more than 250 degree and certificate programs in more than 120 areas of study. More than 360,000 System alumni live and work in Pennsylvania.
The state-owned universities are Bloomsburg, California, Cheyney, Clarion, East Stroudsburg, Edinboro, Indiana, Kutztown, Lock Haven, Mansfield, Millersville, Shippensburg, Slippery Rock and West Chester Universities of Pennsylvania. The System also operates branch campuses in Clearfield, Kittanning, Oil City and Punxsutawney and several regional centers, including the Dixon University Center in Harrisburg. The regional centers are part of the Educational Resources Group, which is responsible for coordinating statewide programming.