Mark Vangsgard is UST's new vice president for business affairs and chief financial officer
I am pleased to announce the appointment of Mark Vangsgard, vice president and treasurer of Ecolab Inc. and a St. Thomas alumnus, as our new vice president for business affairs and chief financial officer.
Mark will return to campus with the benefit of more than 25 years of experience at two Fortune 500 companies, and I know he will make a significant contribution to the university in the years ahead.
Mark is a native of White Bear Lake. He graduated magna cum laude from St. Thomas in 1980 with a degree in business finance and economics. He also earned an M.B.A. degree from St. Thomas in 1990.
Mark Vangsgard
He worked at Golden Valley-based General Mills from 1980 to 1989, starting as a financial management assistant in the consumer foods accounting area. He held positions in several other divisions, including senior group analyst for grocery products in 1988 and 1989, when he moved to Ecolab, a St. Paul-based developer and marketer of cleaning products and services.
Mark moved up quickly at Ecolab, serving as manager for cost and productivity analysis (1989-1992), director of planning and analysis (1992-1995), vice president of finance for the Asia Pacific division (1995-2001) and integration vice president (2001-2002), in which he coordinated the integration activities of a large Ecolab acquisition in Europe. He was promoted to vice president and treasurer in 2002, directing the company’s corporate finance and risk management activities.
Mark and his wife, Kim, who owns and operates a downtown Stillwater gift store, live in Stillwater. They have three children: Matt, a chef at a Hudson restaurant; Joe, a St. Thomas senior who will work for Target after graduation; and Sarah, a senior at Stillwater High School.
I would like to thank the search committee of Bernie Brady, Jane Canney, Edna Comedy, Tom Connery, Mary Daugherty, Charlie Keffer, Sam Levy, Tom Mengler, Pete Parilla, Pat Reinhardt, Tom Rochon, Gary Thyen and Bruce Van den Berghe for the considerable time and effort they put into the search process that resulted in Mark’s hiring. I’d also like to thank the members of the campus community who communicated their thoughts to me as candidates were interviewed on campus. Special thanks are owed to Charlie Keffer, who not only chaired the search committee but also has served as interim CFO since the beginning of the academic year.
Mark will be joining us on or about April 3. Please join me in welcoming him to this very important role within our university.
