Michele Halstead honored as Business Officer of the Year by SUNY peers

Vice President for Administration & Finance Michele Halstead ’91 (Accounting) was unanimously selected as the SUNY Business Officers Association (SUBOA) 2022 Robert J. Wagner Business Officer of the Year Award recipient, the first time that a New Paltz administrator has received this award since it was created in 2005.

The Wagner Award is presented annually to a SUNY officer who is recognized by their peers for outstanding performance, high professional standards and significant contributions to SUBOA and the SUNY system more broadly.

Halstead, a New Paltz alumna and the College’s senior non-academic administrator and chief financial officer, has been an active contributor in professional organizations, particularly those affiliated with SUNY, and has assumed a natural leadership role within SUBOA.

After many years serving as the organization’s secretary and vice president planning the annual meeting, she has established herself as someone new and veteran colleagues can turn to for guidance and direction. Her knowledge and dedication were especially valued during the pandemic, when, as SUBOA president, she organized and conducted weekly meetings where campus officials could discuss new and critical issues and develop common solutions.

This mirrors the expertise and leadership Halstead provides at New Paltz, where she is responsible for all things related to financial viability and integrity, including operating and capital budgets, revenues, expenditures, business activities and debt.