The College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, or CA&ES, is pleased to announce that Chief Administrative Officer Brian McEligot has been appointed Executive Assistant Dean of Finance and Administration.

McEligot, who has been with the college in a variety of positions since 2007, begins his new role Sunday, Jan. 28.

The executive assistant dean is the lead financial and administrative officer for the college, whose responsibilities include focusing on resource management, planning, policy matters, information technology, business services and operating and capital budgets.

“I’m excited to get more involved with the college’s budget processes and do the analysis,” McEligot said. “In this new role I get to step forward and communicate that budget process, but also help dean Dillard present the budget to the provost, advocate for resources and communicate the strength of the college.”

McEligot started at CA&ES in 2007 as a commencement coordinator and later moved into financial and research analyst positions before becoming chief administrative officer in 2016.

Dean Helene Dillard said McEligot has been instrumental in the success of many projects and oversaw significant aspects of college operations during his tenure.

“In his new role, Brian will bring his extensive experience and deep institutional knowledge to further enhance our administrative capabilities and support our college’s academic and research missions,” Dillard said. “His appointment represents not only a testament to his professional excellence but also to the strength of our internal leadership development.”

McEligot said he looks forward to continuing to serve the teaching, research and outreach missions of the college and university.

A top priority will be supporting the transition to Aggie Enterprise, a new financial and accounting system launched this year to handle all financial transactions, from buying office supplies to managing grants and other resources. The system will support financial, planning and business operations.

McEligot participated in the campus wide initiative working to implement Aggie Enterprise and contributed subject matter expertise from his many previous roles that interacted with campus financial systems.

“My priorities there are to make sure our faculty and staff are well supported, they know where to go for help, and that we embrace technology and tools to make the transition easier and to streamline our processes whenever possible,” he said.

McEligot replaces Penny Herbert, his mentor who retired in December after seven years of service. Prior to CA&ES, she served as executive assistant dean at the UC Davis School of Medicine.