Jo Ellen DiNucci, senior associate vice president for Finance and Operations and deputy chief financial officer, will retire from the university on April 30 after 27 years dedicated to financial stewardship and organizational leadership. The campus community is invited to a retirement celebration from 3-5 p.m. on April 14, 2025 in the Hemingway Center. RSVP by April 9 using the provided Google Form.
Employees are also welcome to sign the virtual card for DiNucci’s retirement by April 25.
DiNucci has worn many hats during her tenure, from assistant controller to interim CFO. She currently oversees University Financial Services, which includes the Controller’s Office, Treasury and Real Estate, Procurement and Vendor Services, Shared Services, Student Financial Services, Office of Continuous Improvement and UFS-Hub. She has focused on mentoring and fostering collaboration between finance and all other university operations.
Her work has spanned a wide range of strategic and operational projects, including advocating for purchasing reform before the Idaho legislative subcommittee to managing the collection and reporting of $80 million in federal COVID funding during the pandemic. Since 2000, she has overseen 20 capital and refinancing bond issuances, totaling over $600 million and generating over $33 million in interest savings for the university.
DiNucci started in June 1998, the weekend Boise State first went live on Peoplesoft. Since then, she has played a key role in many system upgrades and implementations. She led the steering committee to implement Oracle’s ERP Financial Cloud, now known as Bronco Hub, which was launched on July 1, 2016. Boise State was the first higher education institution in the world to adopt the Oracle ERP Cloud and is still recognized as a leader in this area.
She also served as an executive board member of the Higher Education User Group, representing cloud applications. The group is a nonprofit international organization focused on sharing knowledge and best practices to help institutions maximize their investment in higher education information systems.
“I spent well over half my career at Boise State serving in a wide variety of roles. Working with so many spectacular and talented people for an institution in which we all believe has been the true highlight of my professional life,” DiNucci said. “I will miss the close connections and opportunities to help advance the university’s mission. I will always be a Bronco!”
DiNucci in the words of colleagues
“Jo Ellen played a key role in our leadership team, contributing significantly to financial and administrative projects. Her problem-solving skills and commitment to finding solutions were outstanding. She led process improvement initiatives that helped reduce administrative costs at Boise State. Additionally, she excelled in training and developing her staff for successful careers. Her leadership had a substantial impact on Boise State’s growth and success.
I truly enjoyed working with Jo Ellen. Her enthusiasm and dedication to the University and its people is so impressive. I am grateful for her support, friendship, and her willingness to go the extra mile for colleagues.” – Stacy Pearson, former Boise State Chief Financial Office and Vice President for Finance and Administration
“Jo Ellen is more than just a leader—she has been a mentor, a role model, and a constant source of inspiration. Her dedication to growth, both for herself and those around her has shaped not only my career but also the kind of leader I strive to be. She led with wisdom, resilience, and an unwavering commitment to excellence, while making the tough decisions not everyone sees. Her investment in people has left a lasting impact, and I am deeply grateful for the guidance, encouragement, and high standards she instilled in me. Wishing her the very best in this well-earned next chapter!” – Alicia Dillon, Associate Vice President for Finance and Controller at Oregon Institute of Technology, former Boise State Controller.
“I’ll never forget sitting on a bench outside the auditorium [at Rutgers University] with Jo Ellen madly scribbling notes on how we could create a new kind of symposium for institutions to share their ideas and knowledge about transforming their business processes as they migrate to cloud technology. It was bold, creative and more than a bit revolutionary, but if you know Jo Ellen, you wouldn’t expect anything less. In everything that she does, Jo Ellen makes the world better and inspires the rest of us to do the same.” – Nicole Engelbert, Vice President, Product Strategy, Oracle