Shannon Cullinan appointed vice president for finance at Notre Dame

Shannon Cullinan, currently associate vice president for University Relations and executive director for campaign administration at the University of Notre Dame, has been appointed the University’s vice president for finance, effective Jan. 1, Executive Vice President John Affleck-Graves announced.

“Shannon Cullinan is an exceptional leader who will continue in the tradition of John Sejdinaj as a servant leader who lives the values of Notre Dame,” Affleck-Graves said. “I also want to acknowledge the Finance Division senior management team of Linda Kroll, Drew Paluf, Rich Bellis, Trent Grocock and Vaibhav Agarwal, who have played such a critical role in stewarding the University’s financial resources and making the Finance Division one of the best in all of higher education.”

In his new role, Cullinan will direct the offices of Treasury Services, Budget and Financial Planning, Procurement Services, Northeast Neighborhood Redevelopment and the Controller’s Group. His responsibilities will cover University budgets, capital planning, treasury management, procurement, real estate acquisitions and development, financial reporting and analysis, accounting and financial services, tax department, research and sponsored programs accounting, payroll and accounts payable.

“It is an extraordinary honor to be invited to serve Notre Dame in this manner,” Cullinan said. “I am grateful and excited to work with this talented team and the broader University community to further our mission as the world’s premier Catholic university. As we look to the future, I am confident we will seize opportunities to preserve Notre Dame’s financial health and pursue progressive approaches to best serve our important and distinct mission.”

Cullinan returned to his alma mater in 2000, serving first as assistant vice president for Public Affairs and Communications. He went on to serve as assistant vice president for development, and associate vice president for Continuous Improvement and Campus Services, with oversight for more than a dozen departments and 400 employees. Cullinan assumed his current position in 2011 where he works closely with Trustee leadership, executive leadership, deans and the University Relations team to oversee Notre Dame’s advancement and campaign efforts.

Cullinan worked for four years as the associate executive director of the Center for the Homeless in South Bend, establishing it as a national model. During his tenure at the center, he served as the controller and created a commercial landscape business employing homeless men and women. He also owned and ran an advertising company before working at the center.

He received a Notre Dame Presidential Leadership Award in 2012 and serves on the Beacon Health System Foundation Board.

Cullinan graduated with honors from Notre Dame in 1993 with a bachelor’s degree in accountancy. He earned his master of business administration degree with highest honors from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School. Cullinan’s wife, Sarah, also is a Notre Dame graduate. She earned her master’s degree in education through Notre Dame’s Alliance for Catholic Education. The Cullinans are the parents of four children.