Arthur W. Roos may have begun his professional life as
a civil/environmental engineer, but the lion's share of his
career has been spent safeguarding billions of dollars in
institutional and corporate financial assets.
Now he's going to watch over Johns Hopkins'.
Following a competitive and national search, Roos has
been named university treasurer and is expected to assume
the post Nov. 1. He brings with him more than 25 years of
experience in such money matters as debt management,
investment management, operation of endowment funds,
strategic planning and risk management.
As Johns Hopkins' treasurer, Roos will be responsible
for providing overall leadership and protection of the
university's assets and serve on various internal and
external committees in fulfilling those responsibilities.
Specifically, he will oversee the university's debt,
banking and cash relationships and operations, insurance
and risk management, short-term assets, and receipt of
gifts of securities and technology licensing stocks.
He will not manage the endowment and other investments
because, in 2004, the university split these
responsibilities from the Office of the Treasurer and
created the position of chief investment officer. The move
came in recognition of the increasing complexity of
endowment management and treasury operations, both at Johns
Hopkins and at universities across the country.
Roos, who is currently treasurer at Case Western
Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, said that he was
attracted to JHU by the strength of the university's
leadership team, the consistent excellence of its academic
programs and the prominence of Johns Hopkins among major
research universities. He will report to James McGill,
senior vice president for finance and administration.
"I hope to contribute by supporting the administration
and the divisions with a focus on the effective management
and protection of the university's assets," Roos said. "On
a personal level, the move to Baltimore brings me much
closer to my two daughters, who live and work in New York
and New Jersey, and to friends and family in Delaware and
Virginia."
A native of Albany, N.Y., Roos attended Manhattan
College, where he earned an undergraduate degree in
civil/environmental engineering. He earned his MBA degree
in finance at Syracuse University.
Roos' professional background includes senior-level
experience in both higher education finance and the
corporate environment. At Case Western Reserve, he planned
and managed the largest financing in the school's history
to fund strategic projects and negotiated $110 million in
bank credit as interim financing for a new research
building. He also improved the design of the student
medical plan by broadening benefits, simplifying
administration and freezing premiums for three years.
Previously, Roos served for 25 years at Niagara Mohawk
Holdings, a $12 billion Fortune 500 energy services company
serving approximately 1.5 million customers in upstate New
York. At Niagara Mohawk, Roos worked his way up from a
financial analyst position to become the company's vice
president and treasurer. During his time with the services
company, Roos was awarded the distinguished Alexander
Hamilton Award for Excellence in Corporate Finance by
Treasury and Risk Management magazine and received a Deal
of the Year award from Investment Dealers Digest. He also
managed the largest high-yield financing of the 1990s, a
$3.45 billion venture for the company.
Roos replaces the retiring William Snow, who will
continue in his role until Roos officially comes on
board.
McGill said that Roos, who is "very familiar with the
management of institutional cash," has the ability to step
into Snow's shoes without missing a beat.
"Art will be a terrific successor to Bill Snow, who
has performed invaluably for Johns Hopkins since 1987,"
McGill said. "Art has performed remarkably well at Case
Western, and he has the professional and personal character
to be a very successful treasurer here."
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