Dr. Justin Fincher currently serves as Interim Chief Deputy to the President and Senior Vice President for Government and Community Relations at Stony Brook University, a role he assumed in August 2024. In this capacity, he acts as the President’s strategic advisor on university priorities, providing counsel on reputation management, crisis prevention, and policy development. He also leads the university’s efforts in government and community relations, strengthening partnerships with civic, business, and elected leaders at all levels. Concurrently, Dr. Fincher remains Executive Director of the Stony Brook Foundation, overseeing its board and philanthropic stewardship.

Dr. Fincher joined Stony Brook in 2021 as Vice President for Advancement, where he led the university’s advancement strategies and fundraising initiatives, achieving record setting milestones. Under his leadership, Stony Brook secured a historic $500 million unrestricted endowment gift and $150 million in climate science funding for The Exchange initiative, enhancing the university’s financial position and impact.

Before his tenure at Stony Brook, Dr. Fincher held leadership roles at The Ohio State University, where he guided multibillion-dollar campaigns, engaged over a million donors, and cultivated significant philanthropic gifts for both academic and medical initiatives. He also served as Chief Operating Officer of the OSU Alumni Association, leading a team of 125 staff and spearheading innovative alumni engagement strategies.

Earlier in his career, Dr. Fincher held key roles at Rutgers University and Johns Hopkins University, where he developed pioneering programs in philanthropy education and donor engagement. His leadership extends to national service with the Council for Advancement

and Support of Education (CASE) and co-founding the Advancement Leadership Lab, a training initiative for senior advancement leaders.

A higher education leader with a Doctorate in Higher Education Administration and a Master of Arts in College Student Personnel, both from the University of Maryland, Dr. Fincher’s national quantitative research has focused on leadership development and sense of belonging across diverse populations. His research expertise includes applying advanced analytics to measure program impact and drive data-informed decision-making in higher education. A summa cum laude graduate of Rutgers University with a Bachelor of Science in Biological Sciences, Dr. Fincher has taught and mentored emerging leaders in the field, contributing to their academic and professional growth