After 37 years of tenure at Bradley, Vice President of Business Affairs Gary Anna has decided to move forward into retirement.
The transition comes at a time when the administration is looking to restructure his position’s responsibilities, dividing them between current positions and the new vice president of legal affairs, which will be in place by this summer.
“The vice president of legal affairs [and] general counsel will oversee legal matters, [human resources], risk management, real estate in addition to review of a variety of contractual matters,” Anna said. “The major areas of responsibilities for the current office of [business affairs] that will not transfer to the new VP… but will transfer to the Chief Financial Officer and [Controller] are finances, facilities and investments and certain other operational areas.”
According to Anna, this work to restructure was an idea that he and President Gary Roberts had when they discussed his plan for retirement.
“We had the opportunity to consider and then make a few changes,” Anna said. “Any change creates opportunities, and the revised administrative structure [will be] a great opportunity to better align campus services.”
Erin Kastberg, who has worked at the University of Wisconsin for the past seven years, will be stepping into her new role as vice president of legal affairs this summer, starting on June 1.
Kastberg did not respond to interview requests by the time this story was printed.
Anna said he wants the university administration to continue looking forward and doing everything possible to elevate the school, and his confidence in his colleagues made his decision easier.
“The senior administrative team works exceptionally well together,” Anna said. “We have a great new strategic plan that really focuses on students and student success, and will strengthen the university and the student experience. I have great trust that the outlook for the university is really positive … it’s just the right time for me to have made a decision along with my family to retire.”
Anna said he will still be working at the university until the transition is complete, completing his final day on July 31.
“I have a lot to do between now and later this summer, including a lot of thank yous … to student leadership, to every student and alumni that engage with our faculty, staff and service providers, and to my colleagues and the team we often refer to as the ‘Bradley family,’” Anna said.
While Anna said he will miss his job and university a great deal, he is excited to see what retirement has in store.
“I’m going to be in my mid-60s, my health is good, things are dramatically improving. We’ve come through a bit of a troff with enrollment challenges so it’s a lot of fun, I enjoy coming to work,” Anna said. “I have a couple grandkids that are young and some other things to do, and I’d like to be able to do them while I can still hopefully enjoy them.”
