PUC Welcomes New Vice President for Financial Administration

On September 7, 2010, the Pacific Union College Board of Trustees confirmed Dr. Dave Lawrence as the college’s new vice president for financial administration. Lawrence officially started his appointment on September 13, in time for the new academic year. 

Most recently, Lawrence was university controller at Loma Linda University, where he managed and coordinated the daily activities of the University’s accounting and finance functions, internal control, investment management, chart of accounts administration and provided budgetary control of Loma Linda University’s $250 million budget. Furthermore, Lawrence provided oversight of all financial reporting, implemented accounting and financial policies and procedures, coordinated cash flow and collaborated with the information technology department in reference to financial systems application, internal audits and tax reporting. 

Additionally, Lawrence served on the Financial Operations Committee, the Risk Management Committee, the Human Resources Operations Committee, the Investment Management Committee, the Web Steering Committee, as well as the Plant Operations Committee at LLU. He is also an active member of NACUBO and WACUBO and has published in the Journal of Adventist Education on topics related to school finance. 

Lawrence also served as an assistant professor at Loma Linda University’s department of health policy and management where he taught courses in Quantitative Decision Analysis, Health Care Finance and Managerial Accounting for Healthcare Organizations among other courses. He was also an adjunct professor for La Sierra University in their School of Education where he taught courses in School Finance. He is also a frequent presenter at Seventh-day Adventist educational conferences on the topic of funding the mission of Adventist education. 

Lawrence received his Ed.D. from La Sierra University in Educational Leadership and Administration with a concentration in Educational Finance. He also has an M.B.A. from California State University, San Bernardino, and an Ed.S. from La Sierra University. He completed his undergraduate work at West Indies College, now Northern Caribbean University in Jamaica. 

Prior to his work with LLU, Lawrence served for eight years as vice principal for finance at La Sierra Adventist Academy and for three years as business manager at Mesa Grande Adventist Academy. Lawrence and his wife, Darlene, have two sons, Christopher and Michael, presently in high school.

Former vice president for financial administration, John Collins, will continue to serve PUC in a new capacity as vice president for asset management.