Lillian Wanjagi

Vice President for Finance and Administration
Chief Financial Officer

Dr. Lillian Wanjagi is an accomplished finance and operations executive leader with more than two decades of experience advancing the missions of public and private institutions of higher education. As Vice President for Finance and Administration and Chief Financial Officer at Southern Connecticut State University, Dr. Wanjagi provides strategic leadership for the university’s financial planning, budgeting, capital projects, procurement, human resources, facilities operations, information technology, and university police.

She is recognized as an organization and systems leader with a track record of driving several major transformative change by leveraging technology to streamline operations and improve how work gets done. She is known for implementing enterprise systems that reduce roadblocks, increase transparency through improved workflows, eliminate unnecessary steps to cut costs, and embed clear metrics and KPIs that help sustain system changes.

She has an extensive background in overseeing capital construction programs, implementing and modernizing ERP systems, strengthening internal controls, and championing operational excellence across complex organizations. Prior to joining Southern, she held senior leadership roles at Fayetteville State University, Viterbo University, the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, and the University of Houston.

Dr. Wanjagi holds a Doctor of Education in Higher Education Administration and Leadership from the University of Houston, an MBA in International Business from Gardner-Webb University, and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Wingate University. A passionate advocate for student success, transparency, and collaborative governance, she is dedicated to fostering environments where institutions thrive financially and students can achieve their highest potential.

Finance & Administration Organizational Chart

Jes Kraus

Chief Human Resources Officer

Jes Kraus is an attorney who has specialized in labor and employment law for over twenty years, with significant experience in higher education labor and employee relations. He previously worked at the University of Vermont for more than ten years. In his last role he served as the CHRO, where he was responsible for all human resources and labor relations functions for a campus of approximately 13,000 undergraduate, graduate, and medical school students and almost 5,000 faculty and staff with six different bargaining units. Prior to working at UVM, Jes worked for a large public sector union for nearly ten years, where he served as a staff attorney, Director of Field Services, and Director. He also served as a police officer in Vermont for six years prior to attending law school. Jes is a U.S. Coast Guard veteran, with a Juris Doctor (cum laude) from Vermont Law School and a B.S. in Government from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy.

Eric Lessne

Associate Vice President for Capital Budgeting and Facilities Operations

Eric Lessne has been associated with Southern Connecticut State University since 1999. First as the Associate Director of Project Management and Engineering for the CSU Board of Trustees/ CSCU Board or Regents, from 1999 to 2020. Then selected to be the Interim Associate Vice President for Capital Budgeting and Facilities Operations, 2020 to 2021 and finally becoming the permanent Associate Vice President for Capital Budgeting and Facilities Operations in 2021.

His facilities knowledge comes from over 41 years of construction and higher education facilities management experience. He has been involved with over a billion dollars worth of construction in his career, a good portion of that value here at Southern. Sustainability is high in the list with the implementation and installation of Solar and Fuel cells that generate 70% of the energy needed on campus. He was a leader in the concept and construction of the New School of Business, Connecticut’s first state owned NET- ZERO building. His team was nominated for an EBI award by the US Green Building Council for Recommissioning of the Adanti Center and he was nominated by the Connecticut General Contractors Association as the Public Owner of the year, 2024 recipient of the Michael J. Adanti Award here at Southern, Member of the DEI Steering Committee, and has been on many selection committees.

Lessne earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Construction Management from Utica College of Syracuse University, Utica, NY.

Mufu Weng

Director of Financial Planning and Budgets

Mufu Weng joined Southern in April 2024. He came to Southern from his role as director of financial planning and budgets at Western Connecticut State University, Danbury, CT. At Western, he supported the CFO in managing a $130 million operating budget, implemented the line-item budgeting approach, and achieved material cost savings to help build back Western’s reserves. Prior to Western, Mufu spent over a decade at the University of Bridgeport in Bridgeport, CT in multiple roles covering food services, information technology, sponsored research, GAAP accounting, and budgeting. He was a member of the UB’s turnaround task force and provided significant analytics support to the task force that led to the acquisition of UB by Goodwin University for long-term financial sustainability.

Mufu strives to support the Owls’ community through accurate financial reporting and analysis. He earned his undergraduate degree in economics from Yang-En University in Quanzhou, China, and holds a MS in Technology Management from University of Bridgeport. He has served as a NECHE peer evaluator since Fall 2022.

Makiem L. Miller

Chief of Police, Director of Public Safety

Chief Miller was sworn in as Southern’s fourth Police Chief and Director of Public Safety on May 3, 2024. He began his law enforcement career with the New Haven Police Department, where he was assigned to Community Patrol and steadily rose through the ranks, serving as Detective, Detective Sergeant, and Shift Commander. After 20 years of dedicated service, he retired at the rank of Lieutenant and District Manager.

Prior to joining the Southern Police Department, Chief Miller held leadership roles as Chief of Police and Director of Public Safety at Belmont Abbey College in Belmont, North Carolina, and Miami Dade College in Miami, Florida.

Chief Miller believes that the SCSU Police Department delivers the highest level of service through strong collaboration with university and community stakeholders. He is committed to fostering safety, wellness, crime prevention, counseling, and advocacy to uphold the department’s mission as a community-focused agency.

He holds a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice from Sacred Heart University and a Master of Arts in Criminal Justice from American Military University.

Tom Armstrong

Chief Information Officer (CIO)

Tom Armstrong serves as Chief Information Officer at Southern Connecticut State University. In this role, he leads the university’s technology strategy, enterprise systems, cybersecurity, and digital transformation initiatives in support of Southern’s mission. 

Tom has extensive experience aligning IT strategy to institutional priorities in both public sector and university environments. Before joining Southern, he served as the Director of IT Strategy for the State of Connecticut, where he focused on modernizing platforms, strengthening governance, and improving cross-agency collaboration. Prior to that, Tom was Associate Vice President for Enterprise Systems at Fairfield University where he developed IT strategies, upgraded ERP systems, and advanced data governance and student-centered technologies. His professional background also includes positions at PWC, IBM, and Deloitte.

Tom holds master’s degrees from Fairfield and Quinnipiac Universities and a bachelor’s degree from Georgetown University. 

Information Technology Organizational Chart | Information Technology

Krista Hayes

University Controller

Krista Hayes serves as Controller at Southern Connecticut State University, effective January 2026. She joined the University in 2017 as the Director of Finance for the SCSU Foundation, where she provided financial leadership and oversight in support of the University’s advancement and fundraising efforts.

In her role as Controller, Krista is responsible for overseeing the University’s accounting operations, financial reporting, internal controls, and compliance, while supporting sound fiscal stewardship across the institution. Her background includes extensive experience in higher education finance, budgeting, and financial operations.

Krista holds a Bachelor of Science in Finance from the University of Central Florida in Orlando, Florida, and earned her Master of Business Administration from the University of New Haven.