Paul S. Dworkis

Paul S. Dworkis brings more than four decades of leadership experience in higher education, finance, publishing, and banking to his role as Berklee’s executive vice president and chief financial officer. 

Dworkis is a strategy-driven, people-first leader with extensive expertise in operations, technology, international business, and facilities and administrative services. He comes to Berklee from Emerson College, where he served as vice president for administration and finance and CFO for five years until retiring in January. At Emerson, Dworkis led the college’s financial, administration, and operational functions in support of its academic, community-focused, and mission-oriented goals; and oversaw facilities, public safety, and risk management functions. Dworkis’s team provided analysis, data, and research to support decision-making toward achieving the college’s objectives and build financial strength and capacity to meet Emerson's capital, real estate, and campus needs. Dworkis cofounded and cosponsored Emerson’s partnership with the City and the Parks Department to activate a portion of the Boston Common, launching the successful unCommon Stage that served 100,000 visitors in its inaugural season. He also served as Emerson’s primary liaison and board member of the Boston Consortium, and as a board member of EdHEALTH.

Prior to Emerson, Dworkis served as vice president for finance and CFO at the University of Maryland for six years, providing financial and strategic expertise to leadership in support of the university’s academic, research, public service, and administrative goals and objectives. Dworkis cofounded and cosponsored the university’s administrative modernization program, a successful effort to drive operational excellence and identify and create efficiencies that led to significant upgrades to the university’s budget model and development and implementation of a cost of education analytical model. Additionally, Dworkis served as associate vice president of finance and administration at Columbia University in New York. 

Earlier in his career, Dworkis held executive roles in media and publishing, most notably serving for twenty years at Newsweek, including seven years as senior vice president and CFO, with global oversight of financial operations. Prior to Newsweek, he worked in various financial roles at Time Inc. He began his career in corporate finance at Manufacturers Hanover Trust Company (now part of JPMorgan Chase). 

Dworkis holds a Master of Business Administration in accounting from Bernard M. Baruch College, City University of New York; and a Bachelor of Science in business management from Fairleigh Dickinson University in Teaneck, New Jersey. A certified public accountant, Dworkis has also served in numerous volunteer and board leadership roles, including 15 years on the board of the Banyan School in New Jersey, nine of those as board president.

Throughout his career, Dworkis has been recognized for building collaborative teams, implementing innovative financial strategies, and supporting inclusive, student-centered institutions. He remains actively engaged in the higher education community through his work with regional and national organizations.