Tom Johnson begins his duties as vice president for finance and administration/treasurer (VPFA) in April.
Central College President Mark Putnam has announced the appointment of Tom Johnson as vice president for finance and administration/treasurer (VPFA). Johnson has served as the vice president of finance and operations/chief financial officer at Iowa Western Community College (IWCC) in Council Bluffs since 1995. He begins his duties at Central in mid-April.
“Tom brings a depth and breadth of experience, along with a creative entrepreneurial spirit, that will strengthen our capacity for sound, financial decision making,” said Putnam. “He’s a person deeply committed to a rich student experience and he will be very engaged in the life of the campus and the Pella community.”
In his role at Iowa Western, Johnson had executive responsibility for accounting, auditing, legal issues and regulatory compliance, auxiliary business operations, master facilities planning and physical plant, risk management, data processing and computing, human resources and general administration. In addition to serving as the college’s chief financial and business officer, Johnson was treasurer for the board of trustees and director and treasurer of the Iowa Western Community College Foundation.
On his watch he directed 17 capital construction projects, totaling $130 million, over the past 19 years for a college ranked as one of the top 25 fastest growing community colleges in the nation with approximately 6,600 students. A recent student suites housing complex doubled the number of campus residents to 1,350 students.
Johnson has produced 20 consecutive years of unqualified audits at IWCC, where he also served as director of accounting. Prior to joining the IWCC team, Johnson also was controller/treasurer at Phaeton Corporation/Unicorn Laboratories in St. Petersburg, Fla., and accounting manager at The Isaly Klondike Company, in Clearwater, Fla. His 30 years of private industry and higher education experience, paired with a commitment to transparency, accountability, vision, strategic planning and responsiveness will be great assets for Central College, said Putnam.
An active member of the community, Johnson served as past chair, president and member of the executive board and finance committee of the Council Bluffs Chamber of Commerce. He was on the executive leadership team of the American Heart Association walk, and served on the Iowa West Foundation Economic Development task force, the city of Council Bluffs Stormwater advisory board, the Council Bluffs YMCA Board and has been active with the Rotary of Council Bluffs and the Optimist Club of Treynor.
Professionally he served on the national board of the Community College Business Officers (CCBO) and has been active with the National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO). He finished peer review training with the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association in 2014, completed Leadership Council Bluffs, and attended a host of national and regional conferences, seminars and workshops.
“I am truly excited to join the Central College team,” said Johnson. “An institution with a long and rich tradition such as Central’s is evidenced by a history of accomplished alumni, dating back to 1853. That Central College has been able to impact student lives in such a manner speaks to the quality of its faculty and staff.
“It has been my distinct pleasure to have spent 21 years at Iowa Western Community College. To have played a small part in the growth and maturation of IWCC has been truly gratifying,” he continued. “The leadership and vision of the Board of Trustees and Dr. Dan Kinney has been transformational. I will dearly miss the many friends, colleagues, and fellow employees who make IWCC a great institution.”
Johnson is completing his Ph.D. in Education Leadership and Policy Studies from Iowa State University in Ames and obtained his Master’s in Business Administration from the University of Nebraska at Omaha and a bachelor of science in accounting from Upper Iowa University in Fayette. He and his wife Terry have two daughters, Michelle and Susan.
