Holy Cross College is pleased to celebrate the selection of the College’s Executive Vice President, Monica Markovich for Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of the Year in the State of Indiana. The CFO of the Year Award is conferred by the Indianapolis Business Journal (IBJ) on an annual basis; Markovich was one of only twelve awardees throughout the State. Markovich was present to receive the award along with her husband, and members of Holy Cross College’s business and leadership team at IBJ’s annual luncheon held in Indianapolis on Friday, December 8.
Holy Cross College President Marco Clark, elevated Markovich to the position of Executive Vice President in August of 2023. Markovich’s new role includes broad oversight over all College operations including but not limited to HR, IT, Facilities Management, and outside vendor contracts and relations. Markovich also served as a member of the College’s Strategic Planning Steering Committee and is on the College’s Executive Council.
Markovich joined the College as Vice President for Finance and Chief Financial Officer in January of 2018 when the College was facing financial exigency. Since then, the College has achieved financial stability, produced positive net revenue every year, grown the endowment by over 1000%, and navigated the challenges of Covid-19. Meanwhile, the College increased salaries, addressed significant deferred maintenance, and made other capital improvements. Also, during her tenure, Holy Cross College’s faculty, staff, and student body have grown to their largest levels in college history while maintaining a tuition discount rate under the national average. The College recently approved a strategic plan, are finalizing a campus master plan, and are nearing completion of the first major construction project in nearly 10 years.
Markovich, a South Bend native, previously worked as an analyst for the University of Notre Dame’s Executive Vice President for over three years. She earned a bachelor’s degree from Notre Dame in 2004 and a master’s degree in public affairs with a concentration in financial management from Indiana University’s School of Public & Environmental Affairs in 2008. Upon completing her master’s degree, Markovich worked for the Indiana Department of Workforce Development overseeing policy and programs for adult education.
Markovich has been married to her husband, Chip Markovich, for 13 years and together they have five children. She is an active member of Little Flower Catholic Church where she has served on the parish council for eight years and chaired the finance committee for the last five, she is also a member of the Supervisory Committee of Notre Dame Federal Credit Union and volunteers at St. Anthony de Padua Catholic School where her children attend.
President Clark said, “Upon first meeting her, I knew that [Markovich] was an incredibly talented woman of intelligence, strength, integrity, but most of all, faith. We are tremendously proud of her well-deserved recognition as one of only a handful of CFO of the Year honorees in the State, and the only one representing higher education. Over the last year she has continued to help the College grow in its vision for the future and I look forward to continuing to work with her to faithfully advance our mission.”
As Markovich began her promotion to Executive Vice President, the College also announced another advancement within the finance office. Emily Leyes was promoted from budget director to Associate Vice President for Finance. Leyes holds a Bachelor’s of Economics from University of Minnesota-Morris and a Master’s of Public Affairs from Indiana University. She has over 10 years of experience with public sector and higher education budgeting and finance. She and her husband, Dan, have two young children and are active parishioners at St. Monica Catholic Church.