Vice Chancellor Finance and Administration

Lawrence Furnstahl, Vice Chancellor Finance and Administration

Lawrence Furnstahl is Vice Chancellor Finance and Administration at UC San Diego for both the campus and Health Sciences.

Furnstahl is accountable for an annual budget of $10 billion; a human resources function supporting 35,000 employees; information services covering all campus needs; real estate for both the campus and the Health System; and a residential, retail, and supply chain services division housing 20,000+ residents.

As CFO for Health Sciences, Furnstahl is responsible for the financial health of the professional schools, the various academic and clinical departments, and the operational and financial integration with the Health System.

Furnstahl has four decades of experience in the strategic, financial and operational management of large, complex organizations—universities and academic health centers—including over 30 years as a CFO. Before joining UC San Diego in January 2026, he was executive vice president and chief financial officer of Oregon Health & Science University from 2011-2025. Furnstahl previously served as chief financial and strategy officer for the University of Chicago Medical Center and Biological Sciences Division, and University vice president for financial planning for science; senior vice president and chief financial officer for UCSF Stanford Health Care; vice president and chief financial officer for the University of Chicago; and vice president & treasurer and senior executive, patient services for the University of Chicago Hospitals. 

Furnstahl has served on the boards of several organizations, including the Encyclopaedia Britannica, ARCH Development Corporation (a technology transfer company), and Crescent Healthcare (a privately-held infusion therapy company) where he chaired the audit committee.  In addition, he was a member of the Physical Sciences Dean’s Council for the University of Chicago and a non-director member of Georgetown University’s Committee on Medical Center Affairs.

Allorah Pradenas, Assistant Vice Chancellor and Chief of Staff

Allorah Pradenas serves as Assistant Vice Chancellor and Chief of Staff to the Vice Chancellor Finance and Administration (VCFA) at UC San Diego. Allorah works closely with faculty, administrators and colleagues across the University to advance the vision and values of UC San Diego to be a destination public university that is student centered, research driven, patient dedicated, and service oriented. She engages with key stakeholders on complex issues affecting the campus and serves as a strategic advisor and collaborator, providing expertise and counsel on policies, programs, and operations for administrative units that report to the VCFA office.

In addition to her Chief of Staff role, Allorah leads two units in the VCFA office: Operational Strategic Initiatives (OSI) team, which serves as an internal consulting partner for campus, and VCFA Data Analytics team, which improves data operations, infrastructure, and enterprise systems. Through these two units, Allorah oversees campus-wide strategic initiatives and projects as well as provides leadership for AI and BI strategy, continuous improvement/Lean Six Sigma programs, operational excellence, organizational reviews, and strategic planning. Since joining the University in 2015, she has led significant process and organizational assessment, redesign, and implementation efforts at UC San Diego and across the UC system. Prior to her work at UC San Diego, Allorah had over a decade of prior higher education leadership experience in program management and policy implementation.

Additionally, as a LEAD Fellow, Allorah serves as a campus champion to engage and lead crucial conversations around improving institutional learning and campus climate.

Allorah earned her undergraduate degree in Writing at University of Redlands and her Master’s degree in Creative Writing at UC Riverside, Palm Desert Campus. Allorah is a certified Lean Six Sigma Black Belt and a ProSci Change Management practitioner.

Dwight Nakamitsu, Executive Director Data Analytics

Dwight Nakamitsu serves as Executive Director Data Analytics for the Vice Chancellor for Finance and Administration at UC San Diego. In this role, he works in close partnership with campus leadership and operational units to advance data‑informed decision‑making and support UC San Diego’s vision to be a destination public university that is student centered, research driven, patient dedicated, and service oriented. Dwight provides strategic leadership for analytics across the VCFA portfolio, helping align data capabilities with institutional priorities and evolving business needs.

Dwight leads efforts to strengthen and scale UC San Diego’s analytics ecosystem, with a focus on improving data operations, infrastructure, and enterprise systems. His work emphasizes building reliable, well‑governed data foundations and enabling accessible analytics that support transparency, efficiency, and strategic insight. Through collaboration with campus stakeholders and technology partners, Dwight helps modernize reporting and analytics platforms and advance a more coordinated, sustainable approach to data use across finance, administration, and operations.

With more than a decade of experience in business intelligence, analytics, and operations, Dwight brings a strong background in translating complex data into actionable insights. Prior to joining UC San Diego, he held senior analytics and operations roles across leading aerospace, biotech, diagnostics, and life sciences organizations, where he led enterprise reporting initiatives, advanced analytics programs, and performance measurement efforts in support of executive decision‑making and organizational growth.

Dwight earned his Master of Business Administration from the UC San Diego Rady School of Management, and holds an undergraduate degree from the University of California, Los Angeles. He is passionate about building analytics capabilities that scale, empower teams, and drive meaningful institutional impact.

Ashley Chen, Executive Assistant

As Executive Assistant to UC San Diego’s Vice Chancellor Finance and Administration (VCFA) for both the main campus and Health Sciences and to the Assistant Vice Chancellor and Chief of Staff (AVC-COS) to the VCFA, Ashley provides support on a wide range of issues involving the highest level of administrative work. She oversees the day-to-day operations of the VCFA Office, which includes serving as the primary contact for the VCFA and AVC-COS, managing busy day-to-day schedules, and planning and coordinating all travel.

Caitlin Chu, Director Business & Fiscal Operations

Reporting to the Assistant Vice Chancellor and Chief of Staff, and serving as an overarching partner of the institution to provide financial guidance, the Director has oversight responsibility for VCFA’s Business and Fiscal Operations. This position serves as a special advisor to the VCFA and unit financial managers on all aspects of budgetary and financial management. This position also serves as the Financial Officer for VCFA.