About Justin Fincher

Vice President for Advancement, Executive Director of the Stony Brook Foundation      

Justin Fincher, PhD, serves as the Vice President for Advancement at Stony Brook University and Executive Director of the Stony Brook Foundation. Reporting directly to Stony Brook University President Maurie McInnis and serving as a member of her senior management team, Fincher provides leadership for the University’s development and alumni relations operations.

Prior to joining Stony Brook in August 2021, Fincher was the Vice President for Advancement Strategy and Administration at The Ohio State University. He oversaw advancement's talent management, training, and human resources functions, as well as the organization's strategic planning and internal communications efforts. Fincher managed projects that spanned the entire organization, advised the senior vice president on policy and short- and long-range planning, and aligned resources and talent to advance the organization's strategic priorities.

Prior to Ohio State, Fincher held roles at Rutgers University and Johns Hopkins University where he led teams responsible for assessment and research, marketing and communications, talent management and constituent engagement. A nationally published author, teacher and scholar of leadership development, he studies the influences of mentorship, involvement, diversity and organizational climate on one's sense of belonging and capacity for leadership.

He completed his master's degree in college student personnel and his doctorate in higher education administration at the University of Maryland-College Park. He holds a bachelor's degree in biology, with a focus on human behavior, from Rutgers University.