Matson joins administration

Cynthia Teniente-Matson
Photo by Randy Vaughn-Dotta

Fresno State's newest Vice President, Cynthia Teniente-Matson, arrived on campus Monday, March 30, to start her new job as VP for Administration and Chief Financial Officer.

"I am excited about all the wonderful opportunities that exist at Fresno State," said Matson. "I am happy to be a part of a dynamic campus that is innovative and growing."

Matson, who has broad experience in university business, administrative and financial matters, was named to the position last fall. Until her arrival, Dr. Jeannine Raymond, director of Human Resources, served as interim vice president.

Matson, previously was vice chancellor for Administrative Services at the University of Alaska Anchorage, was selected for the Fresno State position from a field of more than 30 candidates from throughout the country. She succeeds Dr. Benjamin F. Quillian, who left Fresno State last year to become senior vice president for business and operations at the American Council on Education in Washington, D.C. 

Matson will be responsible for policy development, planning and providing leadership for the areas of accounting, financial management, accounts payable, accounts receivable, budget, information technology services, campus information services, human resources (excluding faculty contracts), plant operations, facilities planning, real estate development and public safety and utility management. She also will chair the Association Board of Directors and have responsibility for financial oversight of all Auxiliary Corporations.

Matson was vice chancellor for Administrative Services at the University of Alaska Anchorage for four years. She started her career with the university in Fairbanks as a purchasing agent in 1989 and moved to the Anchorage campus in 1991, moving up through the ranks to director of procurement and business services. She was named associate vice chancellor for budget and finance in 1998 and vice chancellor in May 2000.

In Alaska, Matson’s work included several major construction projects, including a residential housing complex for nearly 1,000 students, a dining hall, the acquisition and conversion of a retail shopping center to educational use and a library addition.

The University of Alaska Anchorage is a comprehensive metropolitan university in Anchorage and operates four fast-growing community campuses with an enrollment of more than 20,000 students.

Matson, 39, is a native San Antonio, Texas. She has lived in Alaska since her teen years and received her bachelor’s degree in business administration with an emphasis in management from the University of Alaska Fairbanks. She earned her MBA from the University of Alaska Anchorage in 1998.

She is an active member of Rotary and focuses her volunteer work on youth, including Rotary Youth Exchange and Junior Achievement. She has been a guest lecturer for youth about transitioning to college, the importance of college, time management and other topics.

Matson was among the 2002 "Top 40 Under 40" selected by the Anchorage Chamber of Commerce and Alaska Journal of Commerce. She was commended for her "energy, professionalism and intelligence" in helping co-workers "resolve complex issues."

Matson and her husband, Mike, a small-business owner, have two sons, Phillip, 15, and Wyatt, 9.