Christopher James

CFO, Viterbi School of Engineering

University of Southern California

As CFO at USC’s Viterbi School of Engineering, Christopher James is directly responsible for the financial strategy and management of the school and leads the Viterbi Business Affairs Financial, Compliance, and Analytics Teams. In 2015, Chris joined USC to help create the USC Bovard College and manage the financial operations of USC’s Office of Strategic Global Initiatives. While there, he developed the financial plan used by the USC’s Board of Trustees to approve the new college, which combined existing programs like USC Summer Programs, USC International Academy, and American Language Institute, with new programs like the Masters of Science Human Resources. Chris also was responsible for the financial and banking compliance for the various USC international offices located in Asia, Europe and South America. Prior to coming to USC, Chris held positions in finance and education where he had a reputation for building analytical prowess in organizations using effective models and reporting tools to give decision-makers needed intel to make informed choices. Chris holds a Master in Science in Predictive Analytics from Northwestern University and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Utah.