September 14, 2023
Dear Colleagues,
It is my pleasure to announce Erik Brink as our new senior vice president, finance and chief financial officer. A highly skilled strategist and leader with a passion for the Trojan Family, Erik has nearly two decades of experience in senior finance roles at USC. Erik graciously agreed to serve in this role in an interim capacity earlier this year. Since then, he has been a trusted partner to me and to the university’s leadership team, ensuring that our financial operations remain robust, even as we face uncertain economic headwinds.
As our national search progressed, Erik emerged as the clear frontrunner. His appointment comes at a pivotal time, as we embark on an ambitious campaign to implement our moonshots, which aim to make this institution the international standard-bearer for preeminence at scale.
Effective today, Erik will oversee USC’s financial operations, including budget and planning, treasury services, financial and business services, university comptroller, Keck Medicine of USC finances, capital construction and facilities management services, risk management, captive insurance companies, internal audit, and information technology services.
Before taking on this role, Erik served as vice president, university comptroller, overseeing payroll services, university taxation, financial systems, and external financial reporting. He also led the development and implementation of university financial and accounting policies, procedures, and controls, and was charged with overseeing the university compliance with local, state, and federal financial reporting requirements.
Erik first joined the Trojan Family in 2004. He has since played a key role in the university’s issuance of debt in both the tax-exempt and taxable markets, including leading the university’s successful issuance of $500 million of new taxable bonds over the past few months. He also spearheaded an initiative to establish the university’s three captive insurance companies and led the institution’s financial management of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Prior to his arrival at USC, Erik spent 11 years at PricewaterhouseCoopers, specializing in auditing and consulting for nonprofits, health care groups, and higher education. A certified public accountant, Erik is an alumnus of the University of California, Santa Barbara, where he majored in business economics with a focus on accounting.
Erik and his wife Amy are proud Trojan parents. Their daughter, Ella, studies sociology at USC Dornsife and their son, James, graduated from USC Dornsife in 2019 with a degree in political science.
Please join me in congratulating Erik and welcoming him into his new role.
Sincerely,
Carol Folt
President