Tressa Constantineau Ries joined Mitchell Hamline in 2022 as the vice president of finance and administration. Most recently, she served as the vice president of finance and administration at Saint Cloud State University. Tressa has worked in higher education since 2004 with five institutions leading accounting and reporting; budgeting, forecasting and financial modeling; student accounts; financial aid; human resources and payroll; facilities management; public safety; enterprise risk management; internal audit; shared services; and business operations. A few of Tressa’s accomplishments in these roles include the formation and implementation of a novel shared services group, business process re-engineering, direction of bond issuance (re)financing, negotiation of federal overhead rates, construction accounting oversight, and reformulation and extension of an internal audit division.
She holds a master’s degree in Higher Education Administration from Ohio University and a bachelor’s degree in economics with a concentration in accounting from Saint Olaf College. Currently, Tressa is pursuing a doctorate degree in higher education administration at Saint Cloud State University. She was selected for the Western Association of College and University Business Officers (WACUBO) mentoring program as well as the Leadership Institute at the Colorado School of Mines.
Tressa is a member of several professional organizations including the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), Minnesota Society of Certified Public Accountants (MNCPA), National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO), Central Association of College and University Business Officers (CACUBO), Information Systems Audit and Control Association (ISACA), Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE), and Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA). She holds several professional certifications/licenses including: certified public accountant (CPA), certified information systems auditor (CISA), certified internal auditor (CIA), and certified fraud examiner (CFA).