(Vallejo, CA – December 12, 2011) – President Bill Eisenhardt today announced that Kurt Lohide has been named as vice president for administration and finance at The California Maritime Academy (Cal Maritime), a campus of The California State University. Lohide replaces Mark Nickerson who retired from the position last June. Steve Garcia will remain as Interim Vice President for Administration and Finance until Lohide begins his duties in mid-February.

Reporting to the president, Lohide will serve as the institution’s chief financial officer, responsible for the university’s financial, physical and human resources. The six departments Lohide will oversee within the division include fiscal services, facilities management, information technology, staff and faculty human resources and public safety. There are approximately 55 staff members within the administration and finance division.

“We are delighted to have someone who is as knowledgeable about campus and state-wide university system finance and facilities as Kurt," said Cal Maritime President Bill Eisenhardt. "It is an added bonus that his military experience provides him with a familiarity with structured lifestyles and shares the Cal Maritime core values.”

Lohide brings to Cal Maritime more than 30 years of senior level leadership and managerial skills, both in higher education and in the U.S. Air Force. He is currently serving as Vice President for Finance and Administrative Services for Winona State University in Winona, Minnesota. In his current role, he manages an annual $120 million budget and provides all administrative and financial services to ensure the success of more than 1,000 university faculty and staff along with more than 8,000 students across three campuses.

Prior to joining Winona State University in 2008, Lohide retired with the rank of colonel after a distinguished career in the US Air Force that included serving as staff director for the Air Force Smart Operations-21, where he directed business transformation practices throughout the United States for the Air Force Warfare Center. In that role, he championed alternative energy programs and oversaw process improvements in personnel, supply and maintenance to improve service and better utilize resources.

He also served as Commander of the 435th Air Base Wing at Ramstein, Germany, where he was responsible for all aspects of the budget, finance, base operations, communications, security, human resources and other personnel services for the largest support wing in the U.S. Air Force.

"Given my military background I was immediately impressed with Cal Maritime, given the institution's values and highly-focused sense of mission," said Kurt Lohide, who will begin serving as Cal Maritime's new vice president for administration and finance beginning February 20, 2012. "I believe an institution of higher education's chief priority should always be ensuring student success and the Academy's high graduation and placement rates are strong testament that the Cal Maritime is overwhelmingly successful. My admiration for the Academy was further reinforced during my campus visit. While there, I was deeply impressed by the professionalism and friendliness of the faculty, staff and students. I feel honored to be given the opportunity to join the Cal Maritime team and can't wait to get started."

Lohide obtained his undergraduate degree in journalism and English at Indiana University. He also earned three master's degrees — two from the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College (Master of Arts and Sciences in both general studies and operations), and a Master of Science Degree in national security strategy from the National Defense University.

ABOUT CAL MARITIME
Established in 1929, The California Maritime Academy, a campus of The California State University, is the only degree-granting maritime academy on the West Coast. Cal Maritime was recently ranked by Forbes magazine as #18 in the “Top 20 Best Value Colleges” in the nation – and the #1 Best Value in California for providing students with the highest quality education for their academic dollar. Located in Vallejo, Calif., the campus serves approximately 900 students and offers undergraduate degrees preparing students for careers in engineering, transportation, international relations, business, and global logistics. It also offers a master’s degree in Transportation and Engineering Management, as well as a number of extended learning programs and courses. For more information about Cal Maritime, visit www.csum.edu.