Block named Associate Dean for Administration and Finance at SMHS

GRAND FORKS, N.D.—Laura J. Block, C.P.A., CFP, has been named Associate Dean for Administration and Finance (ADAF) and Chief Operating Officer at the UND School of Medicine & Health Sciences (SMHS). The ADAF oversees all non-academic operations and procedures at the SMHS and reports to the Vice President for Health Affairs at UND and Dean of the SMHS, Joshua Wynne, M.D., M.B.A., M.P.H..

In her new role, Block will serve as a key member of the Vice President for Health Affairs and Dean’s leadership team; develop and execute administrative and fiscal initiatives to meet the short and long range strategic planning goals of the SMHS and UND; manage the SMHS financial operations and multi-dimensional business operations that involve four regional campuses across the state of North Dakota; and provide direction and oversight of the functional units within the SMHS Office of Administration and Finance.

“I am thrilled by the opportunity to contribute to the already strong team in place at the UND School of Medicine & Health Sciences,” said Block (right). “I’ve been watching the School from afar for a long time and have been consistently impressed with what the leadership here has accomplished for UND and the state over the last decade.”

Raised in North Dakota, Block comes to the SMHS from the UND Alumni Association & Foundation where she had been Chief Financial Officer since 2006. She brings with her two decades worth of executive experience in financial management. She earned her BSBA degree in Accountancy from UND in 1981 and her M.B.A. from UND in 2010.

Block has been active in the Greater Grand Forks community for years, serving on the advisory boards of the Grand Forks Region Economic Development Corporation, Empire Arts Center, Community Violence Intervention Center, and the Altru Health System Community Board, among other organizations.

“We are very excited to have Laura join our senior management team,” added Dr. Wynne. “I’ve known Laura since my first days at UND, and have always respected her integrity, judgment, experience, maturity, and familiarity with the university. Along with the School’s growth in research funding and the implementation of the Healthcare Workforce Initiative, the School’s biennial budget likely will approach a quarter of a billion dollars in the foreseeable future. That’s a big operation, and I feel relieved that we’ve been able to recruit Laura to oversee our finances and non-academic operations. I know that she’ll do a great job at the School and for UND.”

A reception welcoming Block to the School will be held from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. in the West Atrium of the SMHS building on Friday, February 23.

# # #

Brian James Schill
Assistant Director, Office of Alumni & Community Relations
University of North Dakota School of Medicine & Health Sciences
701.777.2733 direct | 701.777.4305 office
brian.schill@UND.edu | med.und.edu