Rio Salado is pleased to welcome Devi Bala back to the college as the new vice president of administrative services.
Devi Bala has more than 20 years of experience in higher education finance at both the university level and at two-year institutions.
She began her career at the Maricopa Community College District, where she served in progressive roles including associate dean of business services at Rio Salado College.
“It is an honor and privilege to be back at Rio Salado College and the Maricopa Community Colleges where I started my career in higher education finance,” Bala said. “I sincerely appreciate the warm Rio welcome and look forward to working with and getting to know all of my colleagues.”
Prior to rejoining Rio Salado, Bala served as the vice president for business and finance at Texas Southern University and as the associate vice chancellor for finance and accounting at the Houston Community College system.
Bala also spent seven years at the University of Houston where she served as assistant vice president of business services.
“Ms. Bala shares our deep passion for helping students succeed and making education accessible and equitable for all,” said Rio Salado President Kate Smith. “We look forward to working closely with her to ensure Rio Salado is employing fiscally sound best practices and has a sustainable and strong financial future.”
Bala brings to Rio Salado a well-rounded understanding of higher education finance and experience overseeing budgets, tax compliance, treasury, operations and controller functions.
Bala holds a master’s degree in accounting from Utkal University in India, and a post-baccalaureate in accounting from Arizona State University. She is also a certified public accountant licensed in Texas, a certified government financial manager and member of the Institute of Cost and Works Accountants of India.