Athens, Ga. – Henry M. (Hank) Huckaby, the University of Georgia’s senior vice president for finance and administration, has announced that he will retire June 30, concluding nearly 40 years of public service to the state of Georgia.               

Huckaby assumed his post as the university’s chief financial officer in 2000 after serving three years as director of UGA’s Carl Vinson Institute of Government.  Previously he worked 22 years in state government including five years as the state’s top budgeting and finance officer.               

“Working at the University of Georgia has been as challenging and difficult as any job I’ve ever held, but it’s also been one of the most rewarding,” Huckaby said.  “I can’t imagine a better place to finish my career.”               

The senior vice president for finance and administration oversees all business operations at the university including the departments for budget, accounting services, banking and investments and human resources.  The senior vice president is also responsible for the physical plant, auxiliary and administrative services, facility planning and environmental safety.               

UGA President Michael F. Adams said a search committee will be appointed and a national search conducted for a successor to Huckaby with the goal of having the new person in place by July 1.

“Working with Hank Huckaby over the past several years has been rewarding both professionally and personally, and I count it a privilege to have had the opportunity,” Adams said.  “Hank’s depth of professional experience and personal character has enabled him to make invaluable contributions to the advancement of the University of Georgia.  I will continue to rely on him as a professional resource and personal friend.”               

Before joining UGA, Huckaby was director of the Office of Planning and Budget, the highest financial position in state government, under Gov. Zell Miller.  He also served as executive director of the Georgia Housing and Finance Authority under Gov. Joe Frank Harris, and as the commissioner of the Georgia Department of Community Affairs under Gov. George Busbee.               

In November 2002, Gov.-elect Sonny Perdue appointed Huckaby to his transition team and subsequently as interim chief financial officer.  He served in this dual role for eight months before returning full-time to his duties at UGA.               

Huckaby said implementing technological advances to improve administrative operations at UGA is a major accomplishment of his tenure as senior vice president. “Many of our procedures in such areas as student accounts, business affairs and human resources were paper-bound,” he said. “We’ve used new technology to make them more user-friendly and more efficient.”               

Another source of pride is progress in implementing the Campus Master Plan, including the opening of the Student Learning Center, the expansion of Sanford Stadium, the renovation and modernization of older facilities, and the partnership with UGA’s Real Estate Foundation to construct several major new buildings and strategically acquire property to extend campus borders. East Campus Village, the Complex Carbohydrate Research Center and the Coverdell Center for Biomedical and Health Sciences are among new facilities completed through UGA’s partnership with the Real Estate Foundation.               

A strategic plan has been put into place for the finance and administration division that calls for greater diversity in staffing, additional resources for staff and more opportunities for staff development and professional growth.  “We set as a goal to make finance and administration one of the best places to work, and I think we’re making substantial progress to that end,” Huckaby said.               

Huckaby attributes any success he has enjoyed to his own administrative and support staff.  “The key to the success of this organization has been to find people who are strong, capable and dedicated to supporting the University of Georgia in reaching its missional goals,” he said.               

Probably his biggest challenge, he said, has been dealing with the financial crunch caused by budget cuts and reduced state and federal funding. “With the support of all our faculty, staff and the university at large, we’ve managed to weather those fiscal issues with only limited layoffs and by making every effort to maintain support for the university’s core missions,” he said.                

Looking ahead, he believes declining government support for higher education is here to stay, and making up those shortfalls will be one of the biggest challenges colleges and universities face in the future.                

Last November Huckaby received a national career achievement award from the Association for Budgeting and Financial Management.  The award--one of the highest in the field of public budgeting and finance--recognized Huckaby for “exemplary work and professional integrity” in advancing the profession of public financial management.               

Huckaby received a bachelor’s degree in political science and a master’s degree in business administration from Georgia State University and began his public service career there, serving from 1967-1971 as assistant dean of admissions. 

He was a senior policy planner in the Office of Planning and Budget and the first director of the Georgia State Senate Research Office before becoming community affairs commissioner in 1977.

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