New VP for Finance Katie Hammer

Dear MIT faculty and staff,

I am very pleased to share the news that Katherine (Katie) Hammer, currently chief deputy CFO for the City of Detroit, will join MIT as vice president for finance on February 16.

As vice president for finance, Katie will take on leadership of the Institute’s 170-person finance office, which works to advance MIT’s mission by supporting thoughtful stewardship and effective deployment of MIT’s resources.

Katie comes to MIT with substantial experience and success in financial leadership roles in mission-driven settings with significant and complex responsibilities. In her tenure at the City of Detroit, Katie has been responsible for overseeing budget, treasury, procurement, and other financial functions for the Office of the Chief Financial Officer – similar in scope to what her role at MIT will encompass. A thoughtful leader and effective and creative problem solver, Katie led a range of initiatives to bolster Detroit’s fiscal and economic resilience and recently developed and implemented a multifaceted plan that enabled the city to address a shortfall in revenues due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Joining MIT will be a return to Massachusetts for Katie, who was previously budget director for the City of Boston. While there, she developed and managed the city’s $3 billion annual operating budget and $2 billion five-year capital plan, investing in education, public safety, and efforts to reduce homelessness while improving municipal services. She played a leading role on public education funding issues for the city, working to ensure adequate state support for Boston’s public schools and to maximize the positive impact of municipal resources.

Katie also held appointments as director of workforce management and finance at the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority and assistant secretary for administration and chief of staff at the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Executive Office for Administration and Finance, overseeing core state government operations and developing a $17 billion five-year capital investment plan.

Katie holds a BA in political science and economics from Washington University in St. Louis and a master’s degree in public affairs, with a concentration in economics and public policy, from the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs.

With her strong financial and operational skills, commitment to service, and collaborative leadership style, Katie is very well suited to take on this important role at the Institute. Please join me in welcoming Katie to MIT.

Sincerely,

Glen Shor, Executive Vice President and Treasurer