North Carolina Central University (NCCU) has named Akua Johnson Matherson as chief financial officer and vice chancellor for Administration and Finance, effective January 4, 2021. Her appointment comes after a national search.
Matherson is responsible for auxiliary enterprises, university budgets, capital and financial planning, accounting, purchasing, police and public safety, facilities management, central receiving and treasury functions. With over 20 years of experience in higher education administration, Matherson reports to the Chancellor and serves as advisor on a range of accounting, budget, capital, financial and business operations.
Matherson previously served as interim chief financial officer and vice chancellor for Administration and Finance, associate vice chancellor for Administration and Finance and budget director at NCCU. Under her leadership at NCCU, the Division of Administration and Finance is engaged in five major capital projects, a new student center, new school of business building and the University’s first P-3 project. The P-3 project valued at over $120 million, includes two new housing facilities that were completed in 2020 and one residence hall that is under construction. In addition to capital projects, she has been instrumental in the re-engineering of several business processes, including a redesign of the chart of accounts. Matherson and her team also led the development and approval of the university’s new Master Plan.
Prior to joining NCCU in 2016, Matherson worked for 17 years at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University. There she served as the associate vice chancellor for Enrollment Management and assistant vice chancellor for Budget and Planning. During her tenure as associate vice chancellor for Enrollment Management, N.C. A&T became the largest enrollment HBCU in the country. Matherson started her career as a financial analyst for US Airways and Union Pacific Railroad.
Matherson received both her undergraduate degree in Economics, with a minor in Transportation Logistics, and master’s degree in adult education from North Carolina A&T State University.
