DelVal Announces New Vice President for Finance and Administration

Delaware Valley University announced that Curt Topper will serve as vice president for Finance and Administration, effective July 1, 2022. Topper currently serves as Secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of General Services (DGS), reporting to Governor Wolf.

"I was immediately impressed with Curt's depth and breadth of experience in areas that are critically important for our institution," said Delaware Valley University President, Dr. Benjamin E. Rusiloski. "In addition to being a strong leader, Curt brings significant expertise in managing real estate, contracts and system improvements that will support the strategic direction of the University."

As vice president for Finance and Administration, Topper will report directly to Dr. Rusiloski and sit on the president's cabinet. He will have responsibility for financial planning, management and assessment of the financial activities of the University, as well as leadership of facilities, auxiliary services, real estate and enterprise risk management activities.

"I am honored to be joining such a vibrant community of educators and innovators at Delaware Valley University," said Topper. "With its 125-year history and deep commitment to experiential learning, Delaware Valley is uniquely positioned for growth and success in a challenging higher education marketplace."

As Secretary of General Services, Topper has overseen Pennsylvania's state government operating agency responsible for the procurement of goods and services, the management of non-highway capital projects, the management of the commonwealth's real estate portfolio, increasing and advancing contracting opportunities for small and diverse businesses and the maintenance and protection of state-owned buildings and facilities.

Under his leadership, DGS has taken the lead in training and applying lean thinking, principles, behaviors and tools to the department's business areas to help them add more customer value to key product and service offerings by removing waste and identifying and resolving root causes of ongoing problems. He has also lowered the costs for goods and services purchased by state agencies, and modernized the commonwealth's construction management process by going to a totally electronic environment, streamlining processes and cutting bureaucratic red-tape. Topper also spearheaded the commonwealth's diversity, inclusion and small business opportunities efforts, including commissioning the commonwealth's first-ever statewide disparity study on state government contracting.

Prior to his appointment to Secretary of DGS, Topper was assistant vice president of Purchasing, Contracts and Accounts Payable at Georgetown University, where he renegotiated service and supply arrangements and introduced business process and system improvements to reduce the University's operating costs by more than $1 million.

Topper also served as deputy secretary of procurement for the commonwealth and director of Shared Services and Outsourcing Advisory for KPMG.

Topper holds an B.A. in Political Science from Brown University, and a M. Phil. in Public Policy and Management from Carnegie Mellon University.