Manish Kumar
Higher Education Executive | Financial Strategy | Institutional Transformation
- New Jersey, USA
Manish Kumar | Higher Education Executive
About Manish Kumar
Manish Kumar is a senior higher education executive with more than two decades of leadership experience at public research universities. Over the course of his career, he has served as a trusted advisor to presidents and governing boards, a steward of complex multi-hundred-million-dollar financial enterprises, and a central architect of institutional strategy, operational transformation, and long-term financial sustainability. His record spans universities of varying scale and mission — from flagship research institutions to regional public universities — where he has consistently aligned financial and administrative resources with academic priorities and institutional purpose.
Mr. Kumar currently serves as Vice President for Administration and Finance and Chief Financial Officer at Bowie State University, where he is a member of the President’s senior leadership team. His portfolio encompasses finance, budget, treasury, human resources, procurement, facilities, auxiliary services, capital planning, information technology, and enterprise systems. In this role, he provides executive oversight of a $200 million-plus operating budget, a $75 million endowment, and more than $41 million in sponsored research funding. He also serves on the Board of Directors of the Bowie State University Foundation, contributing to fiduciary oversight and advancement strategy.
A CAREER BUILT ON INSTITUTIONAL TRANSFORMATION
At Northeastern Illinois University, Mr. Kumar played a defining role in one of the most consequential financial turnarounds in the institution’s history. Facing fiscal instability and diminished institutional confidence, he led efforts that secured more than $43 million in supplemental state and federal funding and drove reforms that resulted in a four-notch upgrade in the university’s Moody’s credit rating. He also served as Treasurer of the NEIU Foundation and as a Board Member of the Illinois Public Higher Education Cooperative, contributing to statewide governance and institutional collaboration.
At the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill — one of the nation’s premier public research universities — Mr. Kumar held senior financial leadership roles supporting stewardship of endowment resources exceeding $1.2 billion and operating budgets of more than $400 million. He worked in close partnership with academic and institutional leaders to align financial resources with strategic priorities in research expansion, faculty investment, and academic program development.
Earlier in his career at Rutgers University, Mr. Kumar held leadership roles at Rutgers Business School, where he helped strengthen the school’s financial and operational foundation while supporting its academic and global expansion. He was instrumental in implementing modern budget and management frameworks and advancing partnerships that connected the university to regional innovation ecosystems — including a collaboration with Newark Venture Partners to establish a 25,000-square-foot innovation accelerator.
ENTERPRISE MODERNIZATION & STRATEGIC LEADERSHIP
Across institutions, Mr. Kumar has led large-scale enterprise modernization initiatives that have improved institutional effectiveness, financial transparency, and governance capacity. Most notably, he directed the enterprise-wide implementation of Workday Financial and Human Capital Management systems — modernizing forecasting capabilities, strengthening governance reporting, and improving operational agility across administrative functions.
His approach to institutional leadership is grounded in the alignment of financial strategy with academic mission. He has supported research growth, student access and success initiatives, and infrastructure investment at each institution where he has served, ensuring that administrative functions reinforce rather than constrain academic priorities.
Mr. Kumar has also led financial strategy supporting more than $40 million in federal and state grant programs, directed financial planning for the Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Academic Excellence, and helped expand scholarship access through initiatives including the NEIU for YOU scholarship program — all reflecting a commitment to institutional mission that extends beyond balance sheets.
NATIONAL RECOGNITION & SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS
Mr. Kumar is nationally recognized for his leadership in higher education financial strategy and institutional transformation. He has presented at the National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO) Annual Meeting on workforce transformation and scholarship access initiatives, and has appeared on the NACUBO CBO Speaks podcast, where he discussed executive leadership and financial strategy in higher education.
He has participated in executive leadership development programs at Harvard Kennedy School, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and the Association of Governing Boards (AGB) Institute for Leadership and Governance in Higher Education. His research on leadership, technology, and organizational performance earned the Best Paper Award from the Academy of Business Research.
Selected Speaking Engagements:
• NACUBO Annual Meeting (2025): “The Changing Landscape for Work in Higher Education”
• NACUBO Annual Meeting (2023): “NEIU for You Scholarship Program: Promoting Access, Affordability, and Student Success”
• NACUBO CBO Speaks Podcast (2025): “Work, Reworked: Navigating the Evolving Campus Workplace”
• NACUBO CBO Speaks Podcast (2023): Reflections on leadership and financial strategy in higher education
• Panelist, NACUBO Emerging Leaders Program
• Presenter, Academy of Business Research Conference
BOARD SERVICE & GOVERNANCE
Mr. Kumar has served in formal governance roles across multiple institutions and organizations, contributing to fiduciary oversight, endowment strategy, and statewide higher education collaboration.
• Board of Directors, Bowie State University Foundation (2024–Present)
• Board Member, Illinois Public Higher Education Cooperative (2020–2024)
• Treasurer, Northeastern Illinois University Foundation
EDUCATION & PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Mr. Kumar earned his Bachelor of Management from the University of Toledo and completed his secondary education at Queen’s College Taunton in Somerset, United Kingdom. He has pursued continuous executive development through programs at Harvard Kennedy School, MIT, and the AGB Institute for Leadership and Governance in Higher Education.
AREAS OF EXPERTISE
• Financial Strategy & Institutional Sustainability
• Organizational Transformation & Change Leadership
• Endowment Stewardship & Capital Planning
• Enterprise Systems Implementation
• Governance & Board Partnership
• Higher Education Policy & Public Mission
• Workforce Transformation
• Research Administration & Sponsored Programs
• Student Access, Affordability & Success
• Economic Development & Innovation Partnerships