Senior vice president to retire after a 25-year career at James Madison University

Charlie King, who has served James Madison University (JMU) as senior vice president of Administration and Finance for the past 25 years, has announced his December 2021 retirement. 

“On behalf of the entire university community, I congratulate Charlie on his retirement and share deep appreciation for the foundation he has laid, his support and never-ending commitment to JMU,” said JMU President Jonathan Alger. “He has served a critical role in working with legislators across the Commonwealth and has spearheaded numerous capital projects that have enhanced this institution greatly. The institutional knowledge he has developed over 25 years is invaluable.” 

After graduating with his B.S. and M.A. from Appalachian State University, King began his career at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington from 1975 to 1991 in a variety of capacities. He served as assistant dean of students, director of Housing, director of Housing and Food Services, director of Business Services and assistant vice chancellor. 

Prior to joining JMU, he was vice president for Business Affairs at Radford University from 1991 to 1996. 

In 1996, King was hired at JMU. He currently serves as senior vice president for Administration and Finance, where he has been overseeing Government Relations, Budget Management, Business Services, Finance, Human Resources, Information Technology, Intercollegiate Athletics and University Police. 

“This is certainly a bittersweet moment as I have enjoyed my time at the university and have watched JMU become a first-class institution of higher education,” King said. “I am very proud of the work administration and finance employees have done to help develop JMU into the place it currently is.” 

Throughout his tenure at JMU, King has played an integral role in a variety of capital projects on campus, while managing the financial resources of the university. He has balanced the needs for growth and student affordability, while also managing to retain employees during budget reductions and fiscally conservative times. 

When asked about some of his proudest accomplishments, King mentioned the intentional growth across campus and maintaining its beauty, building out East Campus, and the success of JMU Athletic programs. Most importantly King said, “One of my career highlights was leading the best administration and finance team in the Commonwealth.” 

Towana Moore, associate vice president of Business Services, will serve as interim vice president of Administration and Finance upon King’s retirement in December 2021. King will work on a temporary, part-time basis with JMU’s Government Relations staff through the next Virginia General Assembly session. 

During retirement, King is looking forward to spending time with family and will still be cheering on the Dukes from the sidelines.

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Media contact: Mary-Hope Vass, vassmg@jmu.edu