Office of the Chief Operating Officer
Budget & Planning
The primary focus of the Budget and Planning Office is to ensure financial sustainability by developing efficient and effective budgets, producing and disseminating reports to aid in data driven decision making, assuring compliance with stated university policies, producing and monitoring the responsibility centered management (RCM) financial model and evaluating the development of new programs. Our team of five employees is comprised of the Associate VP of Institutional Budgets & Planning and four financial managers assigned as primary contacts for similar groups of units across the university. They serve in a consultative role to the department financial mangers assisting with budgeting, reporting, system training and financial modeling.
Assistant Vice President, Budget & Planning
Heather Hargrave
As Assistant Vice President for Institutional Budget & Planning, Heather provides strategic direction for the budgeting and planning function of the university and leads the annual budget process, manages the university’s responsibility centered management (RCM) financial model, and consults with university leadership on financial aspects of strategic initiatives. Heather is a graduate of Louisiana Tech University College of Business and received certifications in Project Management from Villanova University. She has been a valued member of the Tulane team for 24 years in a variety of areas focusing on financial management and process improvement. Until 2021, she worked in the Budget Office, where her primary focus was ensuring the university’s financial sustainability and refining the RCM financial model. Heather is also a part of the inaugural class of the Tulane University Leadership Institute.
