UNR considers former Reno manager Clinger for top finance job

A search committee at the University of Nevada, Reno is meeting with three candidates for Vice President of Administration and Finance. Embattled former Reno City Manager Andrew Clinger is among the three finalists.

Clinger has served as chief financial officer for Nevada System of Higher Education since December 2018, but prior to that spent more than five years with the City of Reno. His tenure there ended in the wake of claims of harassment, retaliation and a hostile working environment. 

The city severed employment with Clinger at a cost of $230,000 and later settled complaints by those who sued the city for $300,000. Tens of thousands of dollars were also spent investigating allegations.

Under Clinger’s tenure, employees were pitted against one another, personnel decisions were made without staff buy-in and high-level managers were attacking one another, as well as public commenters, via text messages. 

Clinger at the time said the lawsuit and allegations were frivolous.

He was also shown to have encouraged staff to communicate with each other through apps that destroyed messages so conversations could not be discoverable under the Nevada Public Records Act. 

The city changed its process for reporting harassment and how to deal with public records in the wake of the lawsuit and allegations. One council member thanked the women who sued for raising concerns. 

Between city and NSHE jobs he served as an advisor to then-Gov. Brian Sandoval, now UNR’s president. He was previously a state budget director under both Sandoval, former Gov. Jim Gibbons and former Gov. Kenny Guinn.

The university’s vice president of finance and administration is responsible for oversight of administrative and financial matters, including budgets and planning, human resources, facilities services, real estate and university police.

Gloria Walker, who is the vice president of finance and administration at Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University, and Gregory DuBois, vice president of financial affairs at Florida Atlantic University, are also up for the role. 

Each of the three candidates will participate in a forum open to university faculty, staff and students. The forums are hosted in the Joe Crowley Student Union theater on the following dates:

• Thursday, May 4, 3-4 p.m.: Gloria Walker
• Monday, May 8, 3-4 p.m.: Gregory DuBois
• Tuesday, May 9, 1:30-2:30 p.m.: Andrew Clinger

The candidate selected for the job will replace Vic Redding who was appointed in 2017 and also served at NSHE.