Curtis Reynolds

Curtis Reynolds officially joined the Baylor Family this month as Vice President of Business and Finance and Chief Financial Officer. He comes to Baylor from the University of Florida, where he served as Vice President for Business Affairs. Get to know Reynolds in this Baylor Connections, where he discusses topics ranging from his family and path to Baylor to current challenges and opportunities in higher education.
Transcript
Derek Smith:
Hello, and welcome to Baylor Connections, a conversation series with the people shaping our future. Each week we go in depth with Baylor leaders, professors, and more discussing important topics in higher education, research, and student life.
I'm Derek Smith, and today we are visiting with Curtis Reynolds. Curtis Reynolds officially joined the Baylor family this month as Vice President of Business and Finance and Chief Financial Officer. He comes to Baylor from the University of Florida where he served as Vice President for Business Affairs. As Vice President and CFO, Reynolds will oversee all budgeting, business development, financial management, procurement, real estate operations, enrollment management, facilities, information technology, and the Office of Investments. He'll also spearhead the development, communication, and implementation of innovative initiatives intended to grow institutional revenue in an ever-evolving higher educational landscape.
A graduate of the University of Alabama at Birmingham, Reynolds earned a degree in electrical engineering at UAB before receiving his MBA at the University of Alabama. And he's here now just a few days in Waco, but we're glad to have you as a part of the Baylor family. Curtis, thanks so much for joining us today on the program.
Curtis Reynolds:
You bet. Glad to be here.
Derek Smith:
Well, you're getting settled in, so I hope an interview request wasn't too out of left field as you're getting settled in and getting to know everyone. But I'll ask you just start to fill in the blank for us. Your first few days at Baylor have been what?
Curtis Reynolds:
In a word, awesome. Just really amazing. The staff, the students, the colleagues that I work with here at the university have just been so welcoming, so it's been a great transition.
Derek Smith:
Well, yeah. You were announced just a few weeks ago, and then you started the role here on the 1st of March. You say it's been awesome. What stands out about the Baylor... Let's just talk about the area you're in first, the Baylor campus and the Waco community so far
Curtis Reynolds:
What stands out to me is like no other. You come to the campus and the first thing you see is the aesthetics of the campus, the buildings, the grounds, the cleanliness. That's really appealing to me, as it is any other student or a family that's visiting the campus. That's the first thing that stood out.
Then, from a city perspective, coming to the realization just how large Waco really is. It's really a nice city. It's situated very well. I like the spread of it. All looks good to me.
Derek Smith:
Well, we're glad to have you here. You come here from a great institution and community, the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida, and now you're here. You mentioned the people have been great. What have you enjoyed about... I know you're in that stretch where you're getting to know a lot of people all at once here, so it's probably a little crazy, but what have you enjoyed about that?
Curtis Reynolds:
Well, just the genuineness, the mission of the university is one thing. But then when you look at the people from a personal perspective, they're genuine in their faith. They're genuine in their commitment to this institution and their professionalism, and that just brings the whole package together for me. It's unique.
Derek Smith:
Visiting with Curtis Reynolds, Baylor's new CFO and Vice President of Business and Finance. Our chance to get to know you a little bit better, the Baylor family to get to know you a little better, so let me just ask you a few rapid fire questions. You can answer as long or as short as you would like, all right?
Curtis Reynolds:
All right.
Derek Smith:
Get to know you better. If you're not at work, where are we most likely to find you?
Curtis Reynolds:
Right now, because I'm living very close to campus, so you'll likely find me on the Bear Trail. I say I jog, my son says I'm really speed walking. So you'll see me around campus a little bit because I'm trying to still get to know the layout of the campus grounds and things like that, or around town. One other place you might see me is HEB.
Derek Smith:
Sure. Absolutely.
Curtis Reynolds:
So, there you go.
Derek Smith:
Great grocery store. You're getting immersed in that quickly. I understand we would've seen you at the basketball game a week ago.
Curtis Reynolds:
That's right. Oh, the game was awesome. Had an opportunity to experience that win against Kansas and the vibrancy of the pavilion. It was really electric.
Derek Smith:
You're here right at the beginning stages of the pavilion here at Baylor. If people are talking to you, you're meeting a lot of people for the first time, what are some hobbies, or interests, or topics that are almost guaranteed to have a good conversation with you because you enjoy them so much?
Curtis Reynolds:
Well, one thing I've noticed particularly about here is you have a Topgolf. I'm looking forward to getting to some of the courses and trying to get my swing back together and stuff like that. As I mentioned, the jog or the walking and things like that, just trying to stay fit and in shape. That can cause some interesting discussions around campus. We really had a great time with the PC group on a retreat, and we experienced a lot of activities there, so it was really fun and great.
Derek Smith:
A lot of great places to do that around campus and throughout Waco, for sure. You've got your Baylor shirt on. You're a bear now. You've been a gator for 14 years. Is that a strange transition in your mind, or have you kind of got to that point where you've totally turned that corner?
Curtis Reynolds:
Oh, well, as you get closer to the transition to coming to the university here, your mental capacity starts to transition as well. I'm all in bears at this point. It was great while I was a gator, but it's really awesome being here with Baylor now.
Derek Smith:
What do you think you'll miss about Florida, whether it's the institution or just living there?
Curtis Reynolds:
Florida can experience turbulent weather. Do you say what I'll miss?
Derek Smith:
What I'll miss or you can... If you're going to say what you won't miss, then we can go with that.
Curtis Reynolds:
What I won't miss is the hurricane season and preparing for that or when those things come through, and just getting to more of... What I consider Waco as central to the state, so I'm sure it has different weather patterns and things like that and all the seasons. But, I'm looking forward to experiencing the four seasons here, things like that. But yeah, I won't miss the hurricanes.
Derek Smith:
Well, you got a nice spring as you came here. It doesn't last too long, so you can make sure you really enjoy it as you get settled in here.
Curtis Reynolds:
For sure.
Derek Smith:
As you come here to Baylor, you think about the time you spent at Florida and the legacy there. What do you hope your colleagues say about you? What do you hope your impact was on them there at UF?
Curtis Reynolds:
At UF, I think they'll say I was a team player, visionary, a person that was really all about the institution and making the right decisions for the students, the faculty, and the staff, and trying to raise the awareness and recognition of the institution. I plan to do the very same thing here with Baylor, is being a great colleague and a team person and just working with the different people here. President Livingstone, I'm excited about her and her vision. I'm looking forward to partnering with everyone.
Derek Smith:
Visiting with Baylor's CFO, Curtis Reynolds. Another kind of aside question. You were an engineering major in undergrad, and now you're on the business side of things. Is there a story there?
Curtis Reynolds:
Well, kind of, sort of. Being an engineer, you're very strict and symmetric, and you look at things very analytical. It was just a natural transition from my engineering background. I began in higher ed and get more into the administrative operations. So, I came up as an engineer through operations efficiency and things like that. It was really a great transition to the financial side because it had... Operations, as you can imagine, has one of the largest financial impacts on an institution, so you have to be very astute financially.
Derek Smith:
You found that spot kind of on the Venn diagram. If you're layering engineering and business, you found that spot pretty naturally, it sounds like.
Curtis Reynolds:
Exactly.
Derek Smith:
Talking to Curtis Reynolds. Tell us about your family a little bit. Saw when you were introduced here you're part of a Godly blended family and a big one, eight children and 13 grandchildren.
Curtis Reynolds:
Yes. It's been wonderful. Life experiences take us all on a journey. Keisha and I, we believe that God brought us together as a husband and wife. We both had kids that were... Most of which are, like I said, 40 to 12, most of which really are grown and very successful and very blessed. They have given us 13 grandkids.
Derek Smith:
Wow.
Curtis Reynolds:
We genuinely believe that it's in God's providence that we're together and representing him in our life, and how we live, and how we have brought those two families together. They're just doing great things for the Lord as well. It's very inspiring.
Derek Smith:
What are those get-togethers like when everyone comes together?
Curtis Reynolds:
It's a lot of excitement. As you can imagine, with 13 grandkids, there's a lot of energy in the air. But you know what? Sometimes it could be really overwhelming. But at the end of the day when everyone comes together at the house, it is worth every minute of it and is treasured, and we look forward to it.
Derek Smith:
That's wonderful. Well, how did your family react? I'm sure a lot of people are wondering about the move from Florida to Baylor.
Curtis Reynolds:
Well, really, they acted very positive and exciting about it. Some of the first comments we got when we began to share with him that we were coming to Baylor, they began to say, "Oh, we got a new place to go. Well, get ready because we're coming for Thanksgiving," all, what, 20-something of them. It's going to be exciting, so we're looking forward to it.
Derek Smith:
Visiting with Curtis Reynolds. Let's talk about coming to Baylor and just... It was obviously a big decision for you and your wife and your family. When did you first hear about the opening, and what were some of your thoughts?
Curtis Reynolds:
I think in memory, I first heard about the opening probably in the fall of last year. My initial reaction was, "Okay, that's great." But I was doing quite well at the University of Florida, and I really didn't have any intentions to making a transition at the time, but the individuals I was talking to were really persistent.
Actually, I'll tell you a little bit about it. I went home one evening, and I began to talk with Keisha. I said, "This person is calling me about Baylor." I knew about Baylor, but not in detail. We talked about it, and she agreed. She said, "It may be time for us to do something different, so why don't you put your hat in the ring?" I said, "You sure?" She says, "Yeah." We had a prayer, and the next day I called the recruiter and said, "Okay, tell me more. It just kind of started from there."
Derek Smith:
Wow. What were some of the questions that you had as you began to think about it more seriously?
Curtis Reynolds:
Well, institutions are large and they have reputations and brands that they're trying to be consistent about. Sometimes the genuineness of their look, or their search, they already had someone that they're planning to transition into that role. I just wanted to make sure that the university was really looking for their next CFO to take them to the next level. After conversations, it seemed that they really wanted to do that. That's why I moved forward.
Derek Smith:
So you examined it. Tell us a little bit about... You've been at the University of Florida for a while, and you talk about your role there, Vice President for Business Affairs. What are some of the correlations? I think it's obvious that there's a correlation. What are some of the correlations from that role to this role that you said, "I'm excited to build on"?
Curtis Reynolds:
Oh, really, it's the R1 status that's shared at both institutions, the desire to strengthen institutional brand and be a stronger representation of the region. Which we are in Waco, and our intent is to represent not just Waco but the entire state, and even nationally. A lot of the students that come to Baylor, they're from national representations and even international representations. The intent is to grow that reputation and that brand and educate students for being better leaders in our country and society.
Very similar to what any university is looking to do, but on an operational perspective there were many similarities. There were even similarities from the city of Gainesville to the city of Waco, the size, the structure. Until I started looking into Baylor, I really didn't know just how similar things were. It was interesting to me. I've been in higher ed institutions for over 25 years, and Baylor, to me, is full of promise, full of opportunity. I'm just looking forward to working here with everyone.
Derek Smith:
This is Baylor Connections. We are visiting with Curtis Reynolds, Vice President of Business and Finance and at chief financial officer here at Baylor. I'm curious, we all, a lot of us here, have been around Baylor for a while. Part of it we're kind of very much embedded. So I'm curious, tell us about, looking at Baylor, Baylor's reputation from the outside. I think you told us a little bit in that last question, but just give us a sense of what the reputation is at other institutions.
Curtis Reynolds:
That's a great question. I've always heard about Baylor, and its prominence, and its desire to come up as a ranked institution and things of that nature. But with that, there's a genuine desire to be more. What's really exciting here about Baylor is that desire and your infancy into the R1 status, into that brand of development, you have a few athletic championships in various sports behind you, so there's a lot of promise here that really excites me and just want to be a part of that.
I experienced some of that transition and that movement from an institutional perspective. At the University of Florida, we went from number 14 to number four in the country.
Derek Smith:
Wow.
Curtis Reynolds:
And that was by design. I see that same design desire here at Baylor. We're on the cusp of really doing some really great things here as an institution, and I want to be a part of that.
Derek Smith:
You mentioned R1. Baylor achieved R1 status in 2021. Of course, University of Florida an R1 university, member of the AAU. I'm curious, R1 designation, what impact does that have on a university, in particular in light of the roles that you've held?
Curtis Reynolds:
Well, R1 status really puts you at a very special table. You're at a table that really can be impactful nationally and internationally. Your recognition in that designation allows you to be more aggressive at certain fundings that are available from a private perspective into your institution, whether that's corporate funding, or governmental funding, or even donor funding. There's a different conversation around the table. But at the table, there's also an expectation, being an R1 institution, that you have an expectation to do great and phenomenal research and things that better society and that make our world operate better.
Baylor coming into that designation and being a young player at the table, it is where all R1 institutions once were. And it's just that commitment to go to the next level. I think R1 status is just a stepping stone for Baylor to get to preeminence.
Derek Smith:
Visiting with CFO Curtis Reynolds. Curtis, as we visited, your faith just weaves in naturally to some of the conversation. I'm curious, what does it mean to you to be able to do this at a major Christian university?
Curtis Reynolds:
I got to tell you, my faith has always been there. Working at other institutions, that's not always the core. Coming to Baylor, the faith commitment and the mission of this institution is the core of the institution. For me to be at a place like this and able to express my faith openly and freely, I've never experienced that before. I tell you, I get goosebumps when I even talk about it and share it with my friends and family. It's just awesome to be here and know that we're doing a work for the students and the faculty and the staff, but it is not a job. It's a calling. We're doing a work for God. That's the way I feel it.
Derek Smith:
Absolutely. You've painted a picture of a lot of what intrigued you about coming here and being a part of this. Was there a moment when you, "Okay, we're going after this. If we get offered, we're going"? Or was there a moment in along the line where you said, "I think this is going to happen"?
Curtis Reynolds:
It was the interview when I visited campus. You go through the recruiter and you have all those conversations, and I do my personal research, and I'm online. I'm looking at all the financials. I'm looking at all the stuff of the university and just trying to get a picture of understanding where they are.
But coming to the campus and talking to the colleagues and the different individuals, the deans, the provost, and other individuals here at the university, and particularly with President Livingstone and having conversations with her and understanding her vision to where she's going, really, that campus visit did it for me.
Like I said, I was really doing well at the University of Florida. I could have finished my career there and done well. But we reached a point, or I reached a point in my life where it was a question to me about what's next. I was very particular about what's next. I wasn't just going to go anywhere. Visiting Baylor and understanding the mission and the strategy here and President Livingstone's desire to go to a next level, I got to tell you, it was just like naturally that I was supposed to be here. After I left, I just prayed and said, "Well, if it comes, then it's meant to be. If it doesn't, then I'll continue to do what I'm doing." But I just felt in my very being that I was supposed to be here.
Derek Smith:
That's wonderful. And the door opened.
Curtis Reynolds:
And it opened.
Derek Smith:
Now we're visiting here. Absolutely.
Curtis Reynolds:
Exactly.
Derek Smith:
Visiting with Curtis Reynolds. There's a lot of talk about just kind of the environment that higher education institutions face right now. It's a very dynamic time, a lot of challenges. To come to Baylor at this unique moment in the life of a higher education institution. What's meaningful to you about that, and what do you see the opportunities and challenges there?
Curtis Reynolds:
You can look at challenges through several different lens, and the way I look at it is opportunity. I do think higher education is in a paradigm that we're moving towards something different. There may not be a definition of what that different is, but I think those institutions that are open and willing to try something different that they haven't done before, I think those institutions will come out to be the pacesetters and the leaders for what higher education looks like going forward, whether that's on the funding side, or the operation side, or the athletic side. I think there's so much dynamics going on in the world today around higher education. Someone is looking for the answer, and my hope is that we can provide that answer here at Baylor.
Derek Smith:
Wonderful. Well, as we wind down, what's kind of front and center on your agenda as you get settled in and get to know people here?
Curtis Reynolds:
Really, right now, I'm just all ears. My intent doing this transition is to be a very good listener and meet different individuals and really understand what their challenges and concerns are, and then try to work the dynamics of what their challenges are and bring resources to the table or different thought processes. I don't expect to provide earth-shattering different things here, but I do think having someone with a different view, a different perspective, a willingness to listen and partner with the constituency here at Baylor. I think we can partner together and go places, so that's my first intent here.
Derek Smith:
Well, that'll keep you busy for a little while as you get to know everyone, for sure.
Curtis Reynolds:
Yes.
Derek Smith:
Absolutely. Well, Curtis, we're glad to have you and your family here at Baylor and in Waco, and really appreciate you taking the time to visit with us today on the program.
Curtis Reynolds:
Well, thank you so much. This has been a great opportunity. I appreciate it. My door is always open. Looking to see you around campus.
Derek Smith:
Absolutely. So, see you at some games or maybe on the Bear Trail elsewhere, for sure.
Curtis Reynolds:
For sure.
Derek Smith:
For sure. Curtis Reynolds, Vice President for Business and Finance and Chief Financial Officer at Baylor, our guest today here on Baylor Connections. I'm Derek Smith. Remember, you can hear this program online, connections.web.baylor.edu, and you can subscribe to the program on iTunes. Thanks for joining us here on Baylor Connections.