Michelle LaCourt

Michelle was appointed senior director of finance and administration in 2017. Prior to joining the College of Arts and Letters, Michelle spent 10 years working in various roles at Notre Dame Research, most recently as the director of finance and administration. In that role, she was responsible for the financial management functions for units reporting to the Vice President for Research, including the 25 interdisciplinary centers, institutes, and initiatives and the research support programs. Among her other duties, Michelle coordinated with and advised directors/managers and the Associate Vice President of Research on issues related to human resources, such as position development, position classification, posting and searches, hiring, and implementation of performance management, compensation, and recognition programs.

Prior to her work at Notre Dame, Michelle directed an AmeriCorps program, where her duties included recruiting, selecting, training, supervising, and evaluating 60 full-time people in northern Michigan. She holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Michigan Tech in business administration.

Administrative Responsibilities

• Finance — Responsible for budget planning and administration for the College’s unrestricted budget as well as the oversight and review of the College’s restricted funds. Allocates funds for non-regular faculty hires and is the primary contact for special funding requests. Directs financial activities between unrestricted and restricted funding mechanisms. Interfaces with affiliated units to support business operations. Coordinates College financial functions with the Provost's Office, Controller's Office, Restricted Accounting, the Budget Office, Accounts Payable, Procurement, and Human Resources offices.
• Centralized Management Functions — Supports and facilitates diverse College departments and affiliated staff. Assists faculty department chairs in managerial oversight and departmental planning. Central point of contact and resource for operating and administrative needs of the College.

Direct Reports

• T.D. Ball, Staff Accountant
• Kim Harness, Finance & Administration Assistant Program Director

Committee Assignments

• Arts and Letters Journals Committee (ex officio)
• Campus Workstation Program Committee
• College Committee for the Review of Non-Regular Faculty Requests
• College Council
• Deans and Chairpersons Committee
• Executive Committee
• University Business Managers Committee

Liaison Relationships

• Controller’s Group
• Office of Budget and Planning
• Office of the Provost
• Procurement Services