SAN LUIS OBISPO — Larry Kelley, Cal Poly’s chief financial officer and senior vice president of administration and finance, will retire at the end of the current academic year in June, the university announced today. 

Kelley has been with Cal Poly since 2002 overseeing the university’s Administration and Finance division. He has served as chief executive officer and chairman of the board for the Cal Poly Corporation since 2007 and treasurer for the Cal Poly Foundation since 2011.

“Larry has been an indispensible ingredient in Cal Poly’s continued success over the last decade,” said Cal Poly President Jeffrey D. Armstrong. “I am particularly thankful for Larry’s astute financial management through the state’s economic downturn of the last few years. At a time when many institutions faced broad faculty and staff layoffs, Larry and his team’s planning abilities saved Cal Poly from the same fate and helped us to maintain the high quality of a Cal Poly education.”

Under Kelley’s leadership, Cal Poly saw nearly $1 billion in new construction and renovation to its existing facilities – an aggressive period of development that was outlined in the campus’s master plan, which was approved in 2001. Among the most dramatic changes to the campus landscape was the build-out of the Cerro Vista and Poly Canyon Village residence hall complexes, which added 3,500 beds, more than doubling the university’s capacity for on-campus student housing. 

Also during that time, Kelley’s division moved aggressively on sustainability. Through new projects and renovations, Cal Poly has attained LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification through the U.S. Green Building Council on nearly one-third of the campus’s structures.

“It has been a privilege for more than 11 years to play my part in supporting Learn by Doing, helping to grow Cal Poly’s respected reputation, and providing a support system for the university to keep producing the next generation of industry and community leaders,” Kelley said.

Before joining Cal Poly, Kelley served in similar positions at Georgia State University in Atlanta, the University of Maine , and Kent State University in Ohio.

Kelley and his wife, Diane, plan to return to Ohio to be near their children and grandchildren.

Armstrong also announced an interim appointment while the university conducts a national search for Kelley’s successor. Stan Nosek, who served UC Davis as vice chancellor for administration from 2003-10 — the equivalent of Kelley’s position at Cal Poly — will serve as Cal Poly’s chief financial officer until Kelley’s permanent successor is identified sometime later this year.