Wednesday, October 15, 2025

Welcoming Michael W. Phillips, UVAFinance’s New Assistant Vice President and University Controller

The Phillips Family

UVAFinance is pleased to welcome Michael W. Phillips as our new Assistant Vice President and University Controller. Phillips brings to the role nearly two decades of experience at UVA, as well as leadership across higher education, corporate, and professional accounting organizations. Most recently, he served as Associate Vice Provost for Budgeting and Financial Planning in the Provost’s Office, following earlier roles with the Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service. He has also chaired the Virginia Society of CPAs Accounting & Auditing Advisory Committee, and earlier in his career served as Assistant Controller for a division of a publicly traded company in Charlottesville. 

A Non-Traditional Path into Accounting 

Phillips did not originally major in accounting or take the typical big-firm route into the profession. Instead, he started in finance as Director of Financial Operations for Kappa Sigma Fraternity. There, he quickly realized that while his finance skills were strong, he wanted to deepen his accounting expertise. He returned to the classroom through UVA’s School of Continuing and Professional Studies, earning a Certificate in Accounting before sitting for the CPA exam. That credential helped him transition to Alere, a publicly traded company (now part of Abbott), where he served as Assistant Controller and solidified his passion for accounting. 

Returning to His Accounting Roots 

After years of budgeting and planning roles, Phillips welcomed the opportunity to return to a more accounting-focused position. “Budgeting is fun, but I missed doing debits and credits,” he shares.  

“Moving into this role means stepping back toward the actuals side of the coin: ensuring financial statements are complete, audited, and compliant. It’s a different side of the same coin.” 

Since beginning his new role on September 22, Phillips has been impressed by the warm welcome from the UVAFinance team.  

“Everyone has been friendly and open, willing to share and help me learn the processes,” he notes.  

Looking Ahead 

Phillips is eager to dig into the work of preparing UVA’s financial statements and understanding the flow of dollars through Workday. “I want to understand how a dollar moves through the system, from when it goes in to when it comes out, and every step along the way,” he says 

Outside of work, Phillips and his wife, Jessica, are raising their son Matthew, who just turned 13 and is busy with baseball. Weekends often find the family at the ballfield, while Phillips also enjoys playing golf, especially his annual weeklong trip with old friends, now in its tenth year. Jessica, an attorney specializing in criminal defense, also serves as a substitute judge in Albemarle County. 

With his technical expertise, collaborative approach, and deep ties to the UVA community, Phillips is well-positioned to lead in his new role as University Controller. Please join us in welcoming him to UVAFinance! 

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