CFO of Antioch says he plans to resign in June

By Lauren Heaton

Antioch University Vice Chancellor and CFO Don Tecklenburg said this week that he intends to resign, effective June 30.

Tecklenburg, who has been the vice chancellor for a year and a half, said in an interview Monday that personal obligations have prevented him from completing the demanding responsibilities of his job.

“I’m an extremely active volunteer in my community, and these other time commitments are conflicting with my job requirements at the university,” said Tecklenburg, who lives in Cincinnati and commutes to work every day.

He joined Antioch as the university’s controller in 2003 and replaced Glenn Watts when Watts retired as CFO at the end of 2004.

Tecklenburg said he accepted the new post only after the university agreed to redistribute the responsibilities of the CFO to make it a more manageable job for one person.

“I had no interest in putting in the kind of time Glenn was putting into this place. But the restructuring has improved things and made it better for me and for the university,” Tecklenburg said. “Anyone would be foolish to think this is a 9 to 5 job. It is a typical high executive position that takes a big commitment. But it’s a very doable job now.”

When Tecklenburg became the CFO, the university eliminated the position of university controller and created a new position of CFO for Antioch College. The redistribution of financial responsibilities helped establish a “more efficient operation,” Tecklenburg said.

Toni Murdock, the acting university chancellor and the president of Antioch University Seattle, said the university intends to reinstitute the position of university controller after a new CFO is hired.

“We’re looking to try to strengthen the staffing situation with respect to financial responsibilities at the university level,” Murdock said. “Overall, it will be a much stronger financial team.”

The university will start a national search for a new university CFO next week and hopes to find a replacement within the next few months, Murdock said.

The CFO, who focuses on the financial well-being of the entire university, will then select a controller, who will be responsible for institutional accounting issues, such as end-of-year audits and keeping the university in compliance with state and federal regulations, Murdock said.

Antioch University has also been searching for a new chancellor since Jim Craiglow retired last November. Murdock said that a candidate could be selected in the next two to three weeks.

Murdock said she was pleased with Tecklenburg’s contribution at Antioch, including his involvement with refinancing bonds for Antioch’s Seattle and New England campuses and helping to guide bonding issues for the new Antioch McGregor campus in Yellow Springs.

Tecklenburg said he has no definite plans after he leaves Antioch other than to follow through with the commitments he has made to his community in Cincinnati.

“Antioch is an interesting place,” he said. “I’ve really enjoyed the people I’ve worked with. There are some really talented people here.”

Contact: lheaton@ysnews.com