Senior Officials Karu Kozuma, Kevin Weinman Announce Departures

Two major college officials announced their departures over the summer, via a pair of emails sent by President Biddy Martin.

Chief Student Affairs Officer Karu Kozuma left the college at the end of July, returning to the University of Pennsylvania (UPenn) as their new executive director for college housing and academic services. Chief Financial and Administrative Officer Kevin Weinman will leave Amherst in early September to become president of Marist College.

The Chief Student Affairs Officer is responsible for overseeing the OSA in its multiple functions, such as the management of residential life, student activities, community standards, resource centers and accessibility services, among others. The position of Chief Financial and Administrative Officer entails a combination of several roles, including oversight on the college’s financial planning, investments, facilities, information technology and Covid response.

Dean of Students Liz Agosto has been appointed to fill Kozuma’s position and lead the Office of Student Affairs (OSA) in the interim. No permanent successor has yet been found for either of the now-vacant positions.

Kozuma came to Amherst from UPenn in July 2018 after the departure of long-time CSAO Suzanne Coffey. Weinman joined the college in May 2013 after six years at Dartmouth College. Weinman also was Amherst’s first Chief Financial Officer and first Chief Administrative Officer.

Martin lauded both figures in emails announcing their departures. Martin was especially effusive in her praise of Weinman, writing that “[his] titles do not convey the significant impact he has had on Amherst. As time has passed, I have asked him to do more and more for the College, and he has always accepted the challenge and delivered consistently excellent results.”

Both Kozuma and Weinman offered fond farewells in the announcements. “The past three years have been incredibly engaging and rewarding, and my respect for Amherst, its values, and its commitment to always strive for the best have only deepened as I’ve had the rare opportunity to know and work with an extremely talented and fantastic group of colleagues,” Kozuma said.

“Amherst means the world to me,” Weinman said. “I am incredibly excited about the opportunity to serve Marist as its fifth president, and I feel ready for this challenge, in large part because of the experiences I have had here at Amherst.”