Interim President,
Columbia College Chicago
2024 - present
The Columbia College Chicago Board of Trustees appointed Jerry Tarrer as interim president and chief executive officer, a role he assumed July 2, 2024. Mr. Tarrer was chosen to lead Columbia as interim president for his proven leadership at Columbia, and other institutions of higher education.
Mr. Tarrer continues to serve as Columbia’s senior vice president for business affairs and chief financial officer for which he was hired in January 2017. In this capacity, he oversaw the office of budget, planning, and analysis and the controller's, facility services, human resources, information technology, institutional effectiveness, and internal auditor's offices.
Prior to joining Columbia, Mr. Tarrer served as associate vice chancellor for business and financial services and chief financial officer at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. There he helped develop a strategy to address the University's structural deficit, led the development of a new resource allocation model for the University, developed and implemented a six-year financial forecasting tool, helped develop UWM's first strategic enrollment plan, revamped the campus' procurement function and initiated the implementation of an administrative shared services plan.
At Columbia College Chicago, Mr. Tarrer played an instrumental role in developing the College's enrollment strategy, leading to the first overall enrollment increase in over 10 years. He also led the development of the College's first 5-year financial forecasting and planning tool and has overseen the College's divestment from 3 major real estate assets. As interim president, he will continue to lead numerous administrative improvement initiatives, and the development of short- and long-term strategies to strengthen the College's balance sheet and overall fiscal position. In addition, Mr. Tarrer is leading the College's efforts to develop a facilities master plan.
A Chicago native, Mr. Tarrer received an M.B.A. from the University of Chicago and a B.A. in mathematics from the University of Illinois at Chicago. His wife Gloria, is a graduate of Columbia College Chicago, as is one of his five children.
