Matthew Lester, MBA, MHA, CPA

Matthew Lester, MBA, MHA, CPA, joined the Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW) as Executive Vice President for Finance and Administration, and Chief Operating Officer, on August 1, 2022. Mr. Lester previously served as Vice Dean, Finance and Administration, at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine (Cleveland, Ohio) from 2016-2022, and was an Adjunct Assistant Professor in the School’s Division of General Medical Sciences.

As Executive Vice President for Finance and Administration and Chief Operating Officer for MCW, Mr. Lester serves as the principal administrative officer of MCW and a member of the institution’s senior leadership team. He is responsible for MCW’s financial functions as well as the planning, organizing, evaluating and monitoring of all administrative and facilities functions. Mr. Lester oversees strategic financial and administrative planning, budget development and implementation, policy formulation, facilities and organizational development. Additionally, he has oversight of human resources, faculty affairs, facilities, central purchasing, information services and other institutional functions as required to support MCW’s missions. He reports to John R. Raymond, Sr., MD, MCW’s President and Chief Executive Officer.

Mr. Lester is an innovative and results-driven executive with 20 years of management experience leading and advising healthcare and higher-education organizations. He is a highly collaborative executive, combining strategic planning, operational acumen and business development expertise to develop actionable solutions for a broad array of challenges. Mr. Lester has achieved significant success in working across multiple stakeholders to achieve rapid growth and maximize benefit through collaboration, empathy and innovation. As a valued and trusted thought partner, Mr. Lester has built productive and collegial relationships across all relevant stakeholders, provided enhanced services to university faculty, and has a long-standing commitment to equity, diversity and inclusive excellence. Additionally, Mr. Lester brings a robust background of management consulting and financial leadership at two medical schools, and experience working closely with hospital leadership to design and execute an aligned affiliation and joint strategy.

From 2016-2022, Mr. Lester was Vice Dean, Finance and Administration, at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and had dual reporting to the Dean of the School of Medicine as well as to the University Chief Financial Officer. He was responsible for the School of Medicine’s fiscal management and overall business affairs. This included responsibility for an operating budget of $520 million, spanning more than 60 academic departments and four major affiliates, $320 million of research funding, and approximately 7,500 full- and part-time faculty, and 2,500 students. Along with School and University leadership, Mr. Lester played a key role in the renewal and implementation of three affiliation agreements and subsequent amendments.

From 2013-2016, Mr. Lester served as Deputy Dean, Finance and Administration (CFO) at the University of Arizona College of Medicine (Phoenix, Ariz.) where he was responsible for all financial and business affairs, the Phoenix Biomedical Campus and the expansion of the joint mission with clinical affiliates.

From 2006-2013, Matthew was Managing Director, Higher Education/Life Science Practice for Huron Consulting Group, LLC. In that position, he led business planning, financial planning and operational improvement engagements for clients across the US, served as strategic advisor and implementation leader for research expansion across large health systems and academic medical centers, advised university and health system CFOs on departmental financial turn-around projects involving improved budgeting/financial management, operational efficiency and restructuring to enhance performance, and led strategic planning engagements.

Mr. Lester received a Master of Health Administration degree and a Master of Business Administration degree – both from The Pennsylvania State University, and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Administration from the University of Washington.