Chief Financial and Operations Officer Kizzy Lea named to NACUBO Student Success Advisory Group

Chief Financial and Operations Officer Kizzy Lea has been named an inaugural member of the National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO) Student Success Advisory Group, a new national effort focused on aligning financial strategy with student achievement. In her capacity on Forsyth Tech’s Executive Leadership Team, Lea provides hands-on leadership for day-to-day operations, helps design and implement institutional strategy, and directs the development and oversight of the college’s budgeting processes. Her responsibilities include ensuring fiscal stewardship, aligning resources with institutional priorities and promoting operational efficiencies that support teaching, learning and student services. In addition to her college responsibilities, Lea serves as Treasurer of the Forsyth Tech Foundation Board of Directors, where she helps guide philanthropic strategy and the responsible management of private funds that support student scholarships, program innovation and campus priorities.

Lea’s appointment to NACUBO’s Student Success Advisory Group positions her to contribute practical, campus-tested financial perspectives to a national conversation about how resources, budget models and financial policies can be structured to advance student outcomes. On the advisory group, she will collaborate with senior finance and business officers from a diverse set of institutions to examine best practices, identify barriers to student achievement tied to financing and administrative structures, and recommend actionable strategies that institutions and policymakers can adopt. Her participation is expected to bring insights from the community college sector—particularly around affordability, wraparound supports, workforce alignment and data-informed budgeting—that can inform NACUBO’s guidance and resources.

NACUBO is a nonprofit association representing more than 2,200 colleges, universities and other higher education institutions nationwide. The organization’s mission is to promote sound financial management and governance in higher education, to equip business and finance leaders with strategic tools and professional development, and to provide timely information about government actions and regulatory changes affecting institutions. NACUBO supports its members through research and benchmarking studies—such as the NACUBO Benchmarking Study, the NACUBO Endowment Study and the Tuition Discounting Survey—which help institutions compare performance, evaluate financial strategies and adapt to emerging trends in enrollment, funding and cost management.