August 5, 2014

After a national search, the University of Alabama at Birmingham has named G. Allen Bolton Jr., MPH, MBA, as vice president for Financial Affairs and Administration.

In his new role, which he will assume on Oct. 1, Bolton will lead UAB's Financial Affairs and Administration, which supports the education, research and patient-care missions and activities of the institution, primarily through divisions including Business and Auxiliary Services, Facilities, Financial Affairs, Human Resources, Risk Management, Faculty and Staff Benevolent Fund, UAB Police Department and the University Compliance Office.

Bolton has worked for the last three years as senior vice president for Finance and Administration and chief operating officer at the Medical College of Wisconsin. Prior to that, he gained extensive academic medical center experience at both UAB and the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center.

He is a two-time graduate of UAB with master's degrees in public health and business administration. During his 19 years at UAB, Bolton held positions of increasing responsibility before leaving in 2011. He served as executive administrator of the UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center, as well as senior associate dean for Administration and Finance at the UAB School of Medicine.

"It is an honor to have been selected to serve as UAB's next vice president for Financial Affairs and Administration," Bolton said. "I am grateful to President (Ray) Watts and the search committee for inviting me to 'come home' and join UAB's leadership team in this important role at a critical time in the institution's history."

Bolton was director of the Greater Dallas Injury Prevention Center of Parkland Health and Hospital System, a manager at PricewaterhouseCoopers, and a public health educator and statistical analyst in the Health Promotion Section of the Tennessee Department of Health and Environment.

UAB President Ray L. Watts points to Bolton's unique status as someone who has had external and internal experience, a combination that brings great value to the institution.

"Based on his qualifications and experience, Allen is the right person at the right time for this vital leadership position," Watts said. "He joins us with the institutional knowledge of an internal candidate who has built a tremendous reputation across campus, as well as with a wealth of external experience that brings fresh perspectives."

Bolton's familiarity with UAB bolstered his interest in the position.

"Taking the opportunity to work with Dr. Watts and to serve the faculty, staff and students of this great institution was an easy decision to make," Bolton said. "It is a distinct and humbling privilege to be able to serve UAB in this role, and I look forward to the meaningful and exciting work that we will do together."

Bolton consistently held faculty appointments earlier in his career, and he has published 15 peer-reviewed manuscripts. He also has been active in extramurally funded grants, serving as project director or co-principal investigator of grants from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, the National Cancer Institute, the Centers for Disease Control and various national foundations.

"Because of my experience in both finance and academic administration, I understand this unique environment, which makes this an ideal fit," Bolton said.

Bolton served on the Editorial Board of the Journal of Research Administration and has been active in a number of national professional societies, including the Association of Academic Health Centers, the National Association of College and University Business Officers, the Association of American Medical College's Group on Business Affairs and Group on Institutional Planning, and the Society of Research Administrators.

Bolton has also served on many UAB committees, as well as on national and international committees of the World Health Organization, the Association of American Cancer Institutes, the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, and the Association of Academic Health Centers.

A search committee chaired by UAB Vice President Shirley Salloway Kahn was assembled when UAB's current Vice President for Financial Affairs and Administration Richard Margison announced his retirement in March after 16 years with UAB; Margison will serve through August.

Bolton is active in the community, having played significant roles in teen wellness, behavioral risk factor surveillance, child safety seat legislation, the American Cancer Society, Cub Scouts and the Boy Scouts of America, and Habitat for Humanity. Bolton, or teams on which he served, has won numerous awards from the U.S. Department of Transportation, the National Association of Public Hospitals and the American Hospital Association.

Bolton and his wife, Lisa, have been married for almost 29 years and have two grown children - a daughter in Birmingham who is attending classes at UAB, and son and daughter-in-law in Nashville. After a 26-year career as an IT professional, Lisa Bolton volunteers for The Ronald McDonald House, The Wisconsin Humane Society and a regional performing arts center in Milwaukee. The Boltons were longtime residents of Hoover before moving to Milwaukee in 2011.