A financial management professional with extensive experience in academic health organizations has been named the chief financial officer of the Robert C. Byrd Health Sciences Center at West Virginia University.

In her new role, Wendy King oversees the strategic planning and budgeting process for the University-based operations of the Health Sciences Center in addition to managing the centers day-to-day business operations.

Fred Butcher, interim vice president for Health Sciences, noted the depth of experience that King brings to the job.

As a financial health care consultant and former senior associate dean for finance and administration at the University of Vermont College of Medicine, King brings a significant amount of financial management and operations experience to the center,Butcher said.

She also brings the experience of having served as the executive director of medical center facilities and budget and financial analysis at Georgetown University Medical Center,he added.

Most recently, King was president of King Consulting Inc., which provides administrative, financial and project management consulting services.

She said she looks forward to serving in her new role at WVU Health Sciences.

It is an honor and a privilege to be selected to serve as CFO for the WVU Health Sciences Center,King said.I look forward to bringing my knowledge, skills and experience to this very special place.

Through a revised reporting structure, King also functions as the chief liaison between Health Sciences and University administration on all financial issues through a secondary reporting relationship to Daniel Durbin, newly named WVU senior associate vice president for finance.

Durbin had been functioning in a dual capacity as the Health Sciences Center CFO and associate vice president for finance for the University since October 2007. He was recently appointed senior associate vice president for finance to reflect his expanded role within the University.

Dans exceptional leadership over the years has been a great asset to the University,said Narvel Weese, WVU vice president for Administration and Finance.His familiarity with WVU s complex financial operations has been invaluable, and he will continue to play an even greater role as we move forward.

Durbin is a graduate of Glenville State College and began his career in the West Virginia Legislative Auditors Office before joining WVU in 1986.

King has a masters degree in health care administration from The George Washington University and a bachelors in health services from the University of California, Santa Cruz.