Agnes Wong Nickerson Appointed Vice President of BFA

Agnes Wong Nickerson, who has served as interim vice president for Business and Financial Affairs and chief financial officer since March 2019, has been appointed to the permanent role following a national search. 

Wong Nickerson, a certified public accountant, has been involved in the management of San Diego State University’s budget and auxiliaries since 2014, and has spearheaded the creation of more transparent budget reporting, multi-year priority setting, and improved fiscal resilience in recent years under the leadership of SDSU President Adela de la Torre.

“Agnes is a highly respected, collaborative, and inclusive leader, and the foundation of her strategic budgetary approaches are built upon that collaboration and transparency,” de la Torre said, adding that Wong Nickerson has proven to be a strong partner to campus leaders and also faculty and staff.

In addition to providing direction for SDSU’s administrative and budgetary functions, Wong Nickerson has been instrumental in the development of SDSU Mission Valley, in co-chairing the current strategic plan implementation, and in the university’s effective response around the COVID-19 pandemic. She oversees the university’s annual budget of more than $1 billion, which includes the university auxiliary organizations, and a divisional staff that totals more than 650 employees. 

“I am especially grateful for the visionary leadership and commitment Agnes brings as a dedicated steward to our university and community,” de la Torre said. “She finds ways to match our financial reality to our aspirations, an incredible testament to her creativity, flexibility, and  financial skill. She is a proponent of sustainable fiscal management and vision-forward strategic planning – all of which are essential as we deliver on our mission to serve our faculty, students and community in ways we have never been able to before.”

Wong Nickerson has and will continue to provide leadership direction for all budgetary functions of the university and each of its campus locations.

Wong Nickerson, a member of President de la Torre’s leadership team, will also continue to oversee SDSU’s many business and administrative functions, including emergency management, environmental health and safety, facilities management, human resources, payroll, parking and transportation, real estate, facilities construction, housing, contracts and procurement, controller’s office and student account services.

Wong Nickerson also oversees the San Diego State University Police Department, KPBS and Aztec Shops, and provides financial oversight to other auxiliary units, to include the SDSU Research Foundation, Associated Students and Athletics.

“I am excited to continue working closely with faculty and staff and also supporting our students as we expand our global reach, successfully implement our strategic plan and prioritize efforts that improve the financial health and overall well-being of our university and community,” Wong Nickerson said.

Prior to her interim role, Wong Nickerson held the role of SDSU’s associate vice president for financial operation from 2014 to 2019.

Before SDSU, Wong Nickerson served as San Francisco State University’s associate vice president for Fiscal Affairs and managed campus business and financial service functions, including accounting, audit, auxiliary business services, procurement, student accounts services and several other areas. While there, she also served as chief operating officer and chief financial officer for the University Cooperation between 2005 and 2014, and as university controller.

Earlier, Wong Nickerson held numerous other positions, including chief financial officer for the Duke University Press, as well as leadership roles in finance for several public and private corporations and firms in California, Iowa and North Carolina.

Wong Nickerson serves on a number of boards and committees, to include the audit committees for both the San Diego Regional Airport Authority and SANDAG, and the boards of Aztec Shops, the SDSU Research Foundation and the San Diego Chinese American Association.

She earned a bachelor’s in accounting from the Chinese University of Hong Kong and a master's of Business Administration with a focus in international finance from the University of San Francisco.