Jeff Balser, associate vice chancellor for health affairs and dean of the School of Medicine, is leading a national search for a new chief financial officer.

The search began after Lauren Brisky stepped down as vice chancellor for administration and CFO on Feb. 1, ending her eight-year career as CFO and 20 years of service at Vanderbilt. Betty Price, Brisky's deputy vice chancellor for finance and controller, has been acting as an interim CFO for the past several weeks and will continue to do so until the position is filled.

Chancellor Nicholas Zeppos said the search committee aims to have the position filled by this spring. The committee is looking for candidates with excellent organizational skills to manage the university's finances.

The CFO's responsibilities include overseeing and managing the university's budgeting and capital structure. The CFO will receive the help of the other vice chancellors in strategizing the continuing financial success of Vanderbilt.

"What this new CFO will bring is a critical set of skills and expertise in overseeing and coordinating the financial and budgetary aspects of our strategy and stewarding our great university financially," Zeppos said.

The current state of the economy is an important factor in the decision-making process. The CFO's role in the university is particularly important in these uncertain economic times, according to Zeppos.

"The new CFO will take on those challenges but will also be expected to search for opportunities to ensure Vanderbilt's financial strength and that the university continues to thrive in the areas of teaching, research and patient care," he said.

The nine-member search committee led by Balser also consists of Dean of the Owen Graduate School of Management Jim Bradford; Vice Chancellor for Investments Matthew Wright; Board of Trust members Claiborne P. Deming, John Ingram and Sharon Munger; Professor of Management David Owens; Associate Dean and Chief of Staff and Associate Professor of Public Policy and Higher Education Michael McLendon; and Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Richard McCarty.

Vanderbilt News Service contributed reporting to this article.