The University of Alabama System today announced three new executive leadership appointments as part of an organizational restructuring designed to support the continued growth of the UA System.
Effective Oct. 1, 2026, Dr. Dana S. Keith will serve as the UA System’s Senior Vice Chancellor for Finance & Investments, Mark Foley will serve as Vice Chancellor for Administration and Chief of Staff, and Mary Caroline Wynn will serve as Secretary of the Board of Trustees and System Counsel.
The new structure creates separate executive leadership roles for Finance & Investments and Administration, functions previously overseen together under the Senior Vice Chancellor for Finance and Administration. The change reflects continued growth of the UA System and the expanding scope of its academic, health care, research and administrative operations.
As Alabama’s largest higher education and healthcare enterprise, the UA System educates more than 71,500 students, provides millions of patient visits each year through its hospitals and clinics, and supports one in 14 jobs in Alabama.
“Dana, Mark and Mary Caroline are all highly respected and extremely capable,” said UA System Chancellor Sid J. Trant. “This evolved leadership structure will strengthen our ability to support our institutions and the people we serve and position us for continued success across the University of Alabama System.”
Dr. Dana S. Keith – Senior Vice Chancellor for Finance & Investments
As the primary advisor to the Board of Trustees and the Chancellor on financial strategy and stewardship, Keith will oversee Systemwide fiscal integrity, institutional funding strategies, asset and debt management, investments and the long-term financial sustainability of the UA System and its affiliated entities. Deeply experienced across higher education and healthcare finance and public accounting, Keith joined the UA System in 2004 – first as Associate Vice President for Financial Affairs at The University of Alabama – and has served in senior financial leadership roles for more than two decades. She earned a Ph.D. in Higher Education Administration from UA, B.S. and MBA degrees from Southern Mississippi, and a B.S. degree from Mississippi State University. She is a certified public accountant.
Mark Foley – Vice Chancellor for Administration and Chief of Staff
Foley will oversee key administrative functions in the UA System Office, including Construction Management, Human Resources, Information Technology and Security Operations. Over the past seven years as Secretary of the Board of Trustees and System Counsel, Foley has successfully navigated complex legal, governance and operational issues while fostering strong relationships across the UA System. In his new role, Foley will continue advising the Chancellor on policy, operational and cross-functional matters while leading strategic initiatives through collaboration with institutional leaders and external stakeholders. Prior to joining the UA System, Foley practiced commercial litigation for several years. He graduated with honors from The University of Alabama with a B.A. in Economics and a B.S. in Chemistry and earned his J.D. from Vanderbilt University Law School, where he was elected to the Order of the Coif.
Mary Caroline Wynn – Secretary of the Board of Trustees and System Counsel
The UA System Board of Trustees appointed Wynn to serve as Secretary of the Board at its annual meeting held on Sept. 11, 2026. In the role, Wynn will coordinate Board and Committee meetings, maintain records of Board actions, serve as a liaison between the Board and the UA System, and support strategic initiatives across the enterprise. Wynn previously practiced law as a shareholder in Maynard Nexsen’s Insurance and Financial Services Litigation Practice Group. She earned her J.D., magna cum laude, from The University of Alabama School of Law, where she served as Executive Editor of the Alabama Law Review and was a national quarterfinalist on the ABA National Moot Court Team. She also earned a B.A. in Interdisciplinary Arts from UA, graduating summa cum laude and gaining membership in the Phi Beta Kappa honor society.