Chippewa Valley Times

Tracy Drier has been appointed as the permanent vice chancellor for finance and administration at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, succeeding Grace Crickette who retired after serving in the role since 2020.

“Since stepping in as interim vice chancellor, Tracy has continued to provide strong leadership on several major initiatives in process,” said Chancellor James Schmidt. “I have appreciated her leadership in preparing the university to take over responsibility for The Sonnentag project when the building opens this summer.”

Schmidt highlighted that Drier was UW-Eau Claire’s lead person in the Universities of Wisconsin systemwide financial assessments conducted by Deloitte while maintaining her responsibilities leading Human Resources, as well as Budget and Resource Planning.

Drier joined UW-Eau Claire in 2019. Before becoming interim vice chancellor for finance and administration, she held various leadership positions including chief human resources officer, executive director of finance and administration, and director of budget and resource planning.

Drier expressed her honor at being named the new vice chancellor and her enthusiasm for continuing her work with the finance and administration team while collaborating with divisions across campus. “I will work hard through these exciting and challenging times we face to support the success of our students, faculty, staff, and community,” she said. “During my time in the interim role, I have enjoyed getting to know each of the departments in Finance and Administration through a lens outside of budget and human resources, and I am excited to continue learning more each day.”

In her new role, Drier will oversee multiple units at UW-Eau Claire: Budget and Resource Planning; Children’s Nature Academy; Facilities; Human Resources; Procurement and Strategic Sourcing; Risk Management, Safety and Sustainability; University Accounting; and University Police.

Before joining UW-Eau Claire, Drier worked at Chippewa Valley Technical College, Abbott Northwestern Hospital, and Clifton Larson Allen in Minneapolis. She holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Augsburg University and an MBA from the University of St. Thomas. She is also a certified public accountant.