In his new role as chief financial officer at University of the Pacific, James Walsh is able to combine his two passions.

“I love finance, and then on top of that, I really love higher education,” Walsh said. “I'm very lucky to do a function that I really like in a mission I really like.”

Walsh, who began May 16, will be handling areas previously overseen by Chief Operating Officer Ken Mullen, including student business services, budget and payroll, among other things.

The newly created position allows Mullen to focus on improving operations and revenue generation across Pacific’s three campuses.

Walsh has 17 years of experience in higher education. He comes to Pacific from Tufts University in Massachusetts where he led a 90-person team as executive director and university controller. 

Get to know more about him in the video above, including what inspired him to make the cross-country move, what he loves about working in higher education and a trait that may have people doing a double take.

James’s favorites

Book: Beyond Band of Brothers. It’s the memoir of Major Dick Winters, World War II veteran.

Movie: Shawshank Redemption

TV show: The Last Alaskans

Food: I am not a foodie. Apologies to all the foodies out there (laughs). I stick with things like pasta and that’s it.

Hobbies: I love working in the yard. It’s like meditation.