Dr. Bersi has been appointed as the inaugural Vice President, Investments and Administration of Chapman University in July 2019 and currently serves as its Senior Vice President, Investments and Administration. Dr. Bersi’s professional record encompasses more than 20 years of senior leadership experience in private and public higher education and spans a broad spectrum of responsibilities with a concentration of strengths in financial administration, investment and endowment management, strategic planning, governing board relations, educational effectiveness and accreditation, academic affairs, human resources, as well as real estate and risk management.
Dr. Bersi served two 3-year terms as an elected Commissioner of the WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC) and chaired its Finance and Operations Committee for 5 years. She is also a former member of the CSUDH Philanthropic Foundation Board of Directors and a former member of the Board of Directors of the Western Association of College and University Business Officers (WACUBO) where she served as the inaugural Chair of the Marketing and Communications Committee.
Dr. Bersi’s academic credentials include service as Professor of Graduate Education/Higher Education Administration and Leadership, as well as Associate Vice President, Academic Resources Management and Planning at California State University Dominguez Hills (CSUDH). Prior to that she was Chief Financial Officer of Chapman University. She is the former Associate Executive Director and Chief Financial Officer of the CSU Long Beach Foundation and the founding Director of the American Institute of Philanthropic Studies.
Dr. Bersi earned her doctoral degree in Organizational Leadership from Pepperdine University and holds an MBA and BS in Finance from the California State University, Long Beach. She is a Certified Specialist in Planned Giving and a graduate of the WASC Senior College and University Commission Assessment Leadership Academy.
