EMU names alumnus, board member new COO/VP of finance

Eastern Mennonite University announces the appointment of Dr. Shawn Ramer ’83 as chief operating officer and vice president of finance. Ramer is a third-generation graduate of EMU and a Board of Trustees member. He will start his position Oct. 9, 2023.

Reporting to the president and serving as a key member of the Executive Leadership Team, Ramer will oversee the business office, facilities, auxiliary services, human resources, campus safety and security, information systems and food service. His responsibilities include workforce sustainability—the recruiting and retaining of employees and sustaining a culture of care and vitality—and finances, including budget analysis and long-range projections.

“We are at a significant moment of reimagination in these post-pandemic times where new business strategy and attention to workforce sustainability is critical to maintaining healthy enrollments and a strong financial future at EMU,” said President Susan Schultz Huxman. “Shawn is well equipped to provide that kind of financial, entrepreneurial and adaptive leadership.”

Ramer brings more than 30 years of experience in developing people and businesses. Known as an exceptional mentor and for empowering people who work for him, Ramer has both executive-level expertise and success across the science, technology, and healthcare sectors. His career spans large corporations to academia to entrepreneurial start-ups.

Ramer has held various global scientific and technology leadership positions at Hoffmann-La Roche and Bristol Myers Squibb, including senior vice president of information technology at BMS. Since 2016, he has worked as an independent consultant, partnering with schools and organizations to create and innovate in the areas of science and technology. His most recent experience is as chief science officer for the start-up wellness-based company Neurohacker, LLC.

Ramer earned a BA in chemistry from EMU and has recently served the university through board appointments on the President’s Second Century Advisors (2018–2020) and as Board of Trustees chair of the Strategic Positioning and Growth subcommittee since 2021.

“My affiliation with EMU has deep roots, and I have a deep and growing appreciation of the significance of EMU in generating the next generation of people ready to serve and lead in a complex global environment through its strong heritage, values, and academic quality,” said Ramer. “It is in that spirit that I am excited to contribute to the future success of EMU.”

Ramer holds a PhD in organic chemistry from the University of Alberta. He was a postdoctoral research fellow in the Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology at Harvard Medical School.