Leading Forward: Caitlin  Mullaney

Keeps the school running and moving forward 

If you’ve ever wondered who helps turn big ideas into real spaces, say hello to Caitlin Mullaney.

Role: Senior Associate Dean for Business Affairs and Chief Operating Officer 
Works closely with: Facilities operations and planning, Financial Affairs, Human Resources, Technology Solutions & Media/AV, department operations staff, and strategic project leads — especially around major initiatives such as Mulva Hall. 
Years at UT: 5.5 
Hometown: Silver Spring, Maryland (and Cumberland, Maryland — my family moved after freshman year of high school) 
Education: B.S. ’03, Accounting, Villanova University; MBA ’13, Vanderbilt’s Owen Graduate School of Management 
First job: Public accounting (audit) at Ernst & Young (EY) (but before that as a lifeguard, swim lesson instructor/swim coach – water is life!) 

What’s one complex operational challenge you’ve faced in your role, and how did you go about solving it? 

An ongoing complex challenge is aligning multiple goals, systems, processes, and partners across UT as we build Mulva Hall — this often means navigating or defining timelines, negotiating for resources, and coordinating with groups that all have competing priorities. I try to approach big things by breaking them down into smaller pieces, but sometimes I feel like I’m boiling the ocean. I strive to build collaborative working groups and communicate early and often — bringing someone into the conversation or decision-making that has valuable input can be a game changer to getting things done — we don’t have to tackle anything alone. Every day I’m juggling many priorities/initiatives and the day to day — the fun part is that no two days are alike! I’m working on progress over perfection — it’s a daily challenge for me! I am so fortunate to have a great team of trusted and impactful leaders managing our Technology Solutions, Human Resources, Financial Affairs, and Facilities — we have worked together to streamline processes, enhance engagement, and put customer service delivery at the forefront of our partnerships across the school and campus.  

How do you ensure that financial stewardship and resource allocation support the school’s strategic priorities? 

For me, stewardship is a mix of discipline and storytelling. I use data and scenario analysis to understand trade-offs, while trying to help see the link between dollars and mission. We are always seeking to align our resources to initiatives that move the needle — whether for student success, research initiatives, or operational resilience. My goal is to help people feel empowered by the budget, not constrained by it. We do have to get creative, and we cannot do everything, even when everything sounds AWESOME! Again, there are trade-offs and constraints, but by focusing on what has the most impact, and possibly stopping what does not, we can keep moving forward. McCombs is fortunate that so many believe in McCombs and UT and share their time, talents, and treasure with us. I want to ensure they remain proud of and invested in the work we are doing — whether  you are our dedicated staff, our insightful faculty, our generous donors, or, of course, our students and alumni. 

What’s one decision you have made during Mulva Hall’s construction that had a big impact on the final building — and what do you wish more people knew about that process?  

I think building a 17-floor building that looks like a modern office tower on top of our classroom building right at the edge of the Forty Acres was a bold pivot (Secret: It’s actually 19 floors above ground with the mechanical penthouse.) — but it makes so much sense as we tried to optimize the footprint of the land parcels we had put together and respond to the evolving skyline of Austin. I think the building feels energetic, modern, and genuinely student-centered, while also supporting collaboration, research, and community for our large faculty and staff population. Every design choice comes from hundreds of trade-offs, constraints, cost evaluations, and creative problem-solving moments. I hope people know that the “magic” you’ll see and feel when you finally enter the building was earned through thoughtful debate, input from so many constituents, and lots of Ty-agrams (diagrams by Ty who?) covering my office walls. 

• Hidden campus gem:  James Turrell’s Skyspace, “The Color Inside,” which is part of the Landmark collection, on the roof of the William C. Powers Jr. Student Activity Center, especially around sunset. 

• Favorite Austin hangout:  Lady Bird Lake loop about an hour before sunset. I can be close to water and get some exercise as I view the violet crown from the MoPac bridge at the end of my loop. 

• Burnt orange gear:  My McCombs name tag, always proud to be part of our team!