John Vitali is an accomplished financial and operational executive with extensive experience in the nonprofit and higher education sectors. He has held senior administrative and financial leadership roles at major institutions across the NY Metro, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey regions.
John specializes in guiding organizations toward sustainable business practices while upholding mission-driven values. His expertise spans all core administrative and financial functions, including accounting, internal audit, treasury, financial reporting, investments and endowments, budgeting, facilities, human resources, IT, legal services, public safety, risk management, and auxiliary services. He has also supported Board committees in audit, facilities, finance, and investment. As an experienced CFO John has participated in a wide range of organizational fundraising activities.
Recognized for his strategic vision and transformative leadership, John has led teams through complex organizational changes. His achievements include launching an award-winning public library technology program for 60 libraries, developing a mixed-use capital construction plan that secured $40M in funding, executing turnaround strategies to optimize operations and revenue, monetizing non-core real estate assets to generate $35M, establishing a profitable State Department-sanctioned passport service, and leading an organizational strategic planning process.
John’s areas of expertise include:
- Interim executive leadership (CEO, Executive Director, CFO) during periods of transition or crises.
- Fractional executive services for organizations seeking part-time executive expertise.
- Organizational coaching for strategic projects and board development.
- Organizational diagnostics to modernize systems, ensure compliance, and improve efficiency.
He has served as interim Executive Director for a prominent $1.5M academic nonprofit affiliated with New York University and as an organizational coach for nonprofit boards and senior staff, guiding them through visioning, capital projects, and capacity-building initiatives.
John holds a B.A. in History (Russian Area Studies) from Saint Peter’s University and an M.Ed. in Higher Education Administration from Rutgers University. He completed the Interim Executive Institute program at the Support Center for Nonprofit Management. He resides in Edison, NJ, with his family and their 100-pound puppy, a Great Pyrenees dog named Guinness. John’s hobbies include flower gardening and cooking meals from his mother’s native Italian region of Piemonte.
LinkedIn: John Vitali