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VP Silberman Accepts New Role After 29 Years at KU; Picus to Step Up Into Interim Role

Kutztown, PA (07/19/2019) — Gerald Silberman, Kutztown University's vice president for Administration and Finance and chief financial officer, has announced his retirement from KU after 29 years, 11 as vice president. Silberman has accepted the position of vice president for Finance and Strategy at Elizabethtown College, effective Aug. 12. His last day on campus will be Friday, Aug. 2.

Sharon Picus, who currently serves as KU's assistant vice president of Human Resources, will step in as interim vice president for Administration and Finance, effective Aug. 3. Picus, who is currently a member of the president's extended cabinet, has worked at KU for 34 years.

"We are very thankful for the many years of outstanding service and dedication Jerry Silberman gave to Kutztown University," KU president Dr. Kenneth S. Hawkinson said. "Jerry advanced through the ranks and became one of the institution's top leaders. We wish him the very best at Elizabethtown and look forward to having Sharon Picus help lead our efforts in the months ahead."

Silberman has worked at KU since 1990. He began by managing the financial services of the administration as the director of accounting, then served as the comptroller for eight years until becoming the assistant vice president of Administration and Finance in 1999. He was appointed vice president of Administration & Finance in 2008, after serving as interim vice president for nearly a year.

"While I am excited to enter the next chapter of my career at Elizabethtown College, I leave Kutztown University with mixed emotions," Silberman said. "I spent nearly half of my life working at this great institution and had many opportunities to advance. Above all, I will miss the many people I have had a chance to work with. I wish the KU community nothing but the best and I will always keep the Golden Bear community close to my heart."

Picus began her tenure at KU in 1985 as a member of the support staff in the Office of Financial Aid. She was promoted to a management position in Human Resources in 1986, advancing to the chief human resources officer for the university in 1998. Picus was promoted to assistant vice president of Human Resources in 2016, serving as second in command for the division of Administration and Finance. Picus earned her associate's degree from Penn State and her bachelor's and master's degrees from KU.

Under Picus' leadership, the division of Administration and Finance will include the university's administrative and financial units, facilities, human resources, and housing and dining. Matt Delaney, assistant vice president for Financial and Business Services, will replace Silberman as the university's chief financial officer. Public Safety and Police Services, formerly under administration and finance, will shift to the division of Compliance and Equity. John Dillon, KU's chief of police, will now serve as the coordinator of the university's Emergency Management Team, a role formerly held by Silberman.

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