Foster named assistant vice president for campus services

Debra Foster, senior associate director for administrative planning in the Office of the Executive Vice President at Princeton University, has been named assistant vice president for campus services.

Her appointment will be effective Sept. 24. She will report to Vice President for University Services Chad Klaus.

“I am delighted that Debby has agreed to join our senior team in University Services,” Klaus said. “Debby brings a deep understanding of Princeton, many great relationships with campus colleagues and a proven track record of collaborative problem solving that I am confident will be key to effectively addressing our campus services into the future.”

Foster said she is excited to take on her new role, especially as the University prepares to expand as part of the Campus Plan, which will guide development through 2026 and beyond.

“I am thrilled to be joining University Services at a time when we are undertaking some of the biggest changes this campus has ever seen,” Foster said. “I am very excited to join Chad and his leadership team, as well as the strong directors in campus services, as we continue to deliver service excellence on a daily basis, while also thinking broadly about our vision for the future.”

As assistant vice president for campus services, Foster will oversee the operations of Conference and Event Services and University Scheduling; Campus Venue Services; Tiger Card Services; Transportation and Parking Services; and Print and Mail Services.

Foster has been an administrator at Princeton for seven years. She served as associate director for alumni relations and senior associate director for graduate alumni relations in the Office of Alumni Relations before joining the executive vice president’s office in 2015 as associate director for administrative planning. She was promoted to senior associate director in 2017.

In her current role, Foster oversees and facilitates integrated leadership of enterprise-wide initiatives across University organizations. She developed, launched and managed the University’s new Enterprise Risk Management Process. She also established the Campus Iconography Committee with the executive vice president, overseeing its development, budget and initiatives, including the expansion of the campus portrait collection. 

Prior to her employment at Princeton, Foster worked for 17 years in finance, strategy consulting and marketing communications for companies including KPMG, BearingPoint and Mercer Management Consulting (now called Oliver Wyman Group).

Foster received an A.B. degree in East Asian studies from Princeton and an M.B.A. from the University of Michigan.