Blair Westblom, chief financial officer and treasurer, leads the finance and real estate and facilities functions. In her role, she partners with executive management and the Board of Trustees to drive value creation in support of the University’s strategic objectives. Her areas of responsibility include accounting, internal audit, financial planning and analysis, treasury, strategic sourcing, tax, financial systems, real state and facilities, and collections.

Westblom is a seasoned finance leader with over 21 years of experience in publicly traded and private companies across various industries including higher education, biotechnology, investment banking and REITs. She joined the University in 2010 as associate director of finance and was promoted multiple times, with significant expansion of responsibility. In January 2023, Westblom was appointed chief financial officer by the University Board of Trustees.  

Prior to joining the University, Westblom was senior group controller at Genentech, a subsidiary of Roche, the $259 billion global pharmaceuticals and diagnostics business, where she was responsible for fiscal management of the $3 billion biologic oncology business during a period of rapid growth and investment in multiple clinical trials, product launches and line extensions. She also served as financial analyst at Thomas Weisel Partners, which was subsequently acquired by Stifel Financial, where she conducted industry research and advised corporate clients on multiple transactions, including initial public offerings, private placements and mergers and acquisitions, from deal origination through to completion.

Westblom earned a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and a minor in Business Administration from Vanderbilt University.