FLT Profile: José M. Román

Get to know University Finance and Administration’s (UFA’s) Financial Leadership Team (FLT) through our FLT Profile series. Featuring Q&As with each FLT member, the series paints a portrait of who our leaders are—outside of the office.

UFA’s FLT is comprised 12 individuals: Adam Day, J. Michael Gower, John Fahey, Jason MacDonald, David B. Moore, Nimish Patel, Ruth Philo, Stephanie K. Reed, José M. Román, Eugene Simon, William Troy, and Kim Yozgat.

This profile features José M. Román, vice president of Research Administration.

What is your best habit at work, and what is your worst?

“My best habit is that I sincerely love to lead by vision and strategy, so every year, I have a list of goals in service of a strategic vision that my team and I establish. This list affects my annual schedule, what I focus on, and even my daily to-do list. I have a passion for realizing my annual goals…and as silly as it sounds, checking off my to-do list every day. I am passionately focused on getting things done.

My worst habit is that I do not always unplug successfully. I need to learn to let go and just rest or do other things in my life. It annoys my family that I am always in meetings or busy in my office. This is something I am working on.”

Tell us about your first job

“I was 16-years-old, and my title was ‘Mental Health Therapist Aid.’ I worked under the supervision of a clinical social worker, helping people with learning disabilities to acclimate to independent living. It was an awesome job.”

Is there a businessperson you admire?

“Although he was a very complicated person, Steve Jobs was a brilliant innovator. I admire him for his willingness to envision the new, the unexpected, and even the impossible; then, he worked to make it real. That is great leadership.

This is also true of the one theologian I admire most (my doctorate is in modern spirituality). Howard Thurman was a brilliant innovative thinker. His work inspired and guided Martin Luther King Jr. and helped to ignite and guide the Civil Rights Movement. I think great leadership is all about birthing a new and better tomorrow.”

How do you unplug?

“I love to read and watch fun stuff on TV. I also have a meditation practice. I exercise every morning for about an hour. Finally, I spend time with family and friends nearly every week.”

What is your favorite music genre and/or your favorite “get pumped” song and why?

“My musical tastes are very eclectic. As a guy old enough to have partied in the ‘80s and ‘90s, I love old pop like Madonna and Michael Jackson, but I am also known to work to Eastern chat music. My favorite ‘get pumped’ song is Phillis Nelson’s ‘I Like You.’ It so reminds me of New York’s disco life of the ‘80s.”

Do you have a favorite book?

“The Dhammapada. It reminds me what a good life is all about.”