Rick Petillo

Rick Petillo is currently the VP and CFO at Clemson University. Prior to this, they served as the Director of Debt and Capital Financing from October 2015 to December 2019. In this role, they were responsible for developing and implementing the University’s long-term capital plan through external and internal financing mechanisms, including capital markets access.

Under their leadership, the University successfully financed over $360 million of capital projects, including the University’s largest ever bond offering, while also achieving a credit rating upgrade. Rick implemented financing strategies that resulted in over $35 million in debt service savings.

Rick has extensive experience with enterprise-level financial analysis and planning pertaining to strengthening key financial metrics while implementing strategic capital plans. Rick is skilled in coordinating with University constituents and leadership to ensure that capital plans are consistent with the University’s vision, mission, and strategic goals. Rick also has experience managing financial plans to achieve goals and objectives for key credit metrics, including but not limited to debt capacity and affordability metrics, benchmarked against both in-state and national peers.

Rick Petillo has a B.S. in Economics and Computer Science from Duke University, and an MBA from Clemson University. Rick also attended Delbarton School.

Rick Petillo reports to James P. Clements, President. They work with Amy Smith - VP, University Relations and Chief Marketing and Communications Officer, Robert H. Jones - Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost, and Max Allen - SVP & Chief of Staff, Interim Chief Diversity Officer and Special Assistant to the President for Inclusive Excellence.