Deloris Pettis-Donaldson Named New Director of Internal Audit

Deloris Pettis-Donaldson, who oversaw audits for Digital Equipment Corp.'s North American, Latin American, and Caribbean operations, has been named Harvard University's new director of internal audit.

Pettis-Donaldson served for four years as group audit manager at Digital, which was recently bought by Compaq. Before that, she served as director of internal audit for the Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority (MBTA).

"Ensuring that those of us who work at Harvard do a good and thoughtful job in managing institutional risks, complying with external regulations, and stewarding our extraordinary resources is a huge responsibility," said Harvard's Vice President for Finance, Beppie Huidekoper. "The director of internal audit needs to have excellent judgment, a heightened sense of institutional risks, and terrific interpersonal skills. I am thrilled that Deloris has joined us at Harvard as she has all of these traits and more."

Pettis-Donaldson has extensive finance and auditing experience. At Digital, she served on the Financial Standards Committee, the Compliance Committee, and the Advisory Board for the Financial Development Program. She also helped to develop and implement a risk-based operating model for her department.

Pettis-Donaldson said she's happy to be at Harvard and looks forward to working with other officials as the role of internal audit is enhanced at Harvard.

"It's an exciting time to be here," she said. "A significant amount of change is going on at Harvard. I consider it to be positive change and feel privileged to be a part of it."

In addition to working at Digital and the MBTA, Pettis-Donaldson worked at BankBoston Corp., the National Association of Securities Dealers, and the accounting firm of Peat Marwick Mitchell. At BankBoston, she held a range of senior finance positions, including manager of regulatory reporting and manager of internal control.

Pettis-Donaldson has an M.B.A. degree from Tulane University's Graduate School of Business Administration and a bachelor's degree in political science from the State University of New York, Buffalo. She is a certified public accountant and certified internal auditor.

"She will be a strong contributor to Harvard's finance function and we look forward to her leadership, especially as we enhance Internal Audit's role," Huidekoper said.