FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Fulton, Mo. – June 12, 2025: Westminster has announced the appointment of Gerald “Jerry” Ganz Jr., CPA, CGMA (Active Status), as Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of the College. He will also be a member of the President’s Cabinet. Ganz officially stepped into the role on April 23, following a leadership transition that allows Dr. Steve Tyrell — who previously held the Chief Financial Officer title — to focus fully on his newly expanded responsibilities as Chief Strategy Officer.
Tyrell, a senior leader at Westminster, continues to serve as Senior Vice President, Chief Operating Officer, Board Secretary and a member of the President’s Cabinet. With the addition of the Chief Strategy Officer title, he now directly oversees America’s National Churchill Museum, Strategic Communications and Institutional Marketing, Governmental Relations and Policy and selected Risk Management functions.
In a recent letter to campus community, Donald P. Lofe Jr., President and Chief Transformation Officer, congratulated both, explaining that Tyrell has been instrumental in successfully executing numerous Strategic Plan initiatives while maintaining a sharp and continued focus on the College’s associated financial details.
“I look forward to his [Steve’s] continual focus and further successful execution of our Strategic Plan’s present and future initiatives. …” Lofe wrote. “Steve and Jerry, among others, will be working together with me over the next several months to transition the above-mentioned financial and other functions.”
In his new role at Westminster, Ganz will oversee the Business Office, Information Technology, Human Resources and Facilities and Plant Operations.
Ganz arrives at the College with more than 35 years of experience working at public and private colleges and universities, non-profit university foundations and corporate and public accounting entities.
His successful career has involved the direct or functional oversight of and responsibilities for financial operations, budgeting and cash management, accounting, investment and endowment management, procurement, information technology, human resources and facilities and plant operations, among other duties.
Most recently, Ganz has served as Vice Chancellor of Finance and Administration at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, where he was responsible for the oversight of all university financial services.
Prior to his position at the U of A, Ganz was Senior Vice President of Finance and Administration and Chief Financial Officer for the University of Connecticut Foundation. He also served in senior financial leadership roles at Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, Florida, and Johnson College in Scranton, Pennsylvania.
Ganz earned an M.B.A. from Florida State University in Tallahassee and a B.S. in business administration and accounting from Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania. He is a Certified Public Accountant and a Chartered Global Management Accountant (Active Status).
A resident of Benton, Arkansas, Ganz says he looks forward to putting down roots in the area with his family, which includes his wife, Elena, and three children: Bella (18), who will be a sophomore at Westminster next year, C.J. (15) and Olivia (12).
“I am very excited to join the Westminster College community and look forward to working with President Lofe, the Board of Trustees and the entire faculty and staff to continue advancing the mission of Westminster to prepare our students for lives of success, significance and service,” Ganz said. “The senior team at Westminster is experienced and committed, and I am eager to join them to help lead Westminster to great success and prominence in the coming years.”
ABOUT WESTMINSTER COLLEGE: Founded in 1851 and home of Winston Churchill’s “Iron Curtain” speech, Westminster College is ranked prestigiously by The Princeton Review as one of 151 “Best Colleges in the Midwest” for 2026 and is one of only 37 full-participation institutions nationwide with the Civic Learning and Democracy Engagement Coalition as recognized by the Higher Learning Commission. New graduates experience a more than 90% placement rate within six months of graduation, while Westminster alumni are in the top 16% nationwide for graduate earnings. The only National Liberal Arts college in Missouri, Westminster has long been recognized for its focus on educating and inspiring students to make an impact on the world around them. Find out more about Westminster College by visiting our website.
FOR MORE INFORMATION: Contact Sarah Backer at 573-220-9038 or Sarah.Backer@WCMO.edu.
Sarah Rummel Backer is the Director of Media Relations and Senior Writer at Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri. A proud Westminster graduate, Sarah has more than 20 years of experience in marketing and strategic communications in the areas of higher education, medicine, agriculture, and the private business sector.
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