by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine The University of Vermont has hired Alicia Estey as Vice President for Finance and Administration following a national search.
Estey brings two decades of leadership experience in higher education, most recently at Boise State University, where she served as chief financial and operating officer and vice president for finance and operations since February 2023. Boise State is nearly twice the size of UVM
A staff member at Boise State since 2006, Estey held administrative positions spanning financial strategy, capital development, compliance, public health, and institutional operations including vice president for university affairs and chief of staff, chief compliance officer, and director of regulatory and tax compliance.
At Boise State, Estey oversaw the university’s all-funds budget and led a team of professionals across finance, legal, compliance, facilities, capital projects, IT, and public health and safety. She has broad experience in governance, stakeholder engagement, and the alignment of financial stewardship with academic and public service missions.
Estey holds a Juris Doctor from the University of Idaho, a Master of Public Health from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, and a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accountancy from Boise State University.
Estey will succeed outgoing Vice President for Finance and Administration Richard Cate, who is set to retire on June 27 after 17 years of service to UVM. Estey will take over later this summer.
Estey will join her former boss in Vermont. UVM's new president, Marlene Tromp, Ph.D., who formerly was president of Idaho’s Boise State University. Tromp will become the University of Vermont’s 28th president July 1, the university’s Board of Trustees announced on March 20, 2025.
On its official website following her hiring at UVM, Boise State said of Estey: “Alicia has been a stabilizing force for Boise State during the past two decades. Her commitment to our students and campus community, combined with her innovative approach and strategic mindset, has better positioned the university for the future,” said Jeremiah Shinn, Boise State interim president. “She has been instrumental in Boise State’s phenomenal trajectory, and she will be missed. I sincerely thank Alicia for her distinguished service to our university.”
Estey leaves Boise State with over 19 years of dedicated service spanning finance, operations, major capital projects, compliance, legal, and public health, culminating in the Chief Financial and Operating Officer role, where her transformational leadership has significantly contributed to the university’s success and financial stability. Estey led the public health efforts during COVID pandemic that kept the campus open. Notably, she positioned the university for sustainable growth by eliminating a structural deficit within the first year of her taking the position.
Among her accomplishments was eliminating a $15 million structural deficit while managing the Boise State's $743 million budget.
Estey also was a defendant in a civil case, in which the university ultimately lost a $3 million judgment. The case involved a short-lived coffee shop on campus that closed over alleged discrimination for their "Thin Blue Line" support following the George Floyd murder and subsequent student protests. The verdict came in September 2024.
Meanwhile, the Idaho State Senate, while generally praising the finances of Boise State, passed a $2 million cut to its appropriation directly related to its DEI policies, most of which had been instituted by Tromp's predecessor and removed in recent years. One senator called it a "punishment," but nonetheless voted in favor of the measure.
For the academic year 2024-2025, Boise State University enrolled a total of 26,670 students. For the academic year 2024-2025, a total of 14,320 students enrolled at UVM.
University of Vermont: For people and planet
Founded in 1791, UVM is the leading public research university where discovery, creativity, community, and action coalesce to secure a thriving future for people and planet. Vermont’s state flagship and land-grant university attracts $250 million annually in groundbreaking research and enrolls approximately 14,000 students from 50 states and 75 countries. At UVM, students, faculty, and staff work together in pursuit of a healthier, greener future. Learn more at uvm.edu
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