UC Davis top financial officer makes quick exit

On Thursday, UC Davis Chief Financial Officer Dave Lawlor smiled from a picture on the university’s website.

On Friday, Lawlor was gone and his image, biography and list of duties were removed from the website.

“Dave Lawlor, vice chancellor and chief financial officer, has resigned,” said a statement from the office of acting Chancellor Ralph Hexter, sent to deans and vice chancellors Thursday.

“UC Davis has taken important steps to strengthen its fiscal health during Mr. Lawlor’s tenure, and the university remains on a solid foundation of financial stability,” said the statement. “Acting Chancellor Hexter thanks Mr. Lawlor for his service. Effective immediately, Senior Associate Vice Chancellor Kelly Ratliff will serve as interim lead for the Finance, Operations & Administration division.”

University spokeswoman Dana Topousis would not offer any additional information about Lawlor’s sudden resignation. His annual salary was $422,300, she reported.

Lawlor could not be reached for comment Friday.

The chief financial officer’s departure comes just one month after the suspension of Chancellor Linda P.B. Katehi amid allegations of misuse of student funds, nepotism and misstatements about her role in an effort to scrub her image and the school’s in online postings.

Melinda Haag is heading an independent probe of the chancellor’s activities, according to an announcement from UC President Janet Napolitano’s office. As U.S. attorney for the Northern District of California, Haag oversaw high-profile prosecutions that included Giants star Barry Bonds and former state Sen. Leland Yee.

Katehi hired Lawlor as chief financial officer and vice chancellor of finance and resource management at UC Davis less then two years ago. He had held a senior finance post at George Washington University in the nation’s capital for seven years.

A native of Dublin, Ireland, Lawlor’s previous California experience includes working as a portfolio analyst for Wells Fargo in San Francisco and 10 years in management posts with Hewlett-Packard and Agilent Technologies.

This story was originally published May 27, 2016 at 5:40 PM with the headline "UC Davis top financial officer makes quick exit."