Alan L. Austin, has been appointed vice president for finance and administration for the Desert Research Institute, DRI President Stephen G. Wells announced. In his new position at DRI, Austin will be responsible for much of the day-to-day operation and financial management of the institute.
Austin came to DRI from the University of Texas-Houston Health Science Center where he was chief operating officer for administration and finance, and assistant vice president for continuous improvement. In his work there he was successful in instituting a broad streamlining of administrative processes to achieve considerable reductions in time and expenses. He was directly responsible for a staff of more than 100 people and a budget of nearly $50 million for operations and capital projects.
Austin has previous worked as a consultant specializing in strategic planning and management, as a manager for quality assurance and improvement in private industry, as a mathematical statistician for the U.S. Army and as a stockbroker. He was recruited through a national search.
A California native, Austin received a B.S. in statistics from Brigham Young University and an MBA in statistics/operations research and finance from the University of Houston.