Robert Butler

Robert J. Butler Jr. is the interim vice president for finance and financial services & CFO. He oversees the accounting, budget, treasury, risk management, payroll, accounts payable, procurement, and financial systems functions at the College. He joined Emerson in April 2018, and his service spans 39 years in higher education, public accounting, and governmental regulatory services.

Prior to joining Emerson, Butler was a tax managing director at two global accounting, tax, and advisory firms, Grant Thornton and KPMG, serving tax-exempt organizations with financial statement and tax return advice and presentation. He also served as controller at Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts, with oversight of accounting and sponsored research accounting. Earlier in his career, he worked for the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office as a financial investigator in the Public Protection Bureau, including the Charities Division, working on civil and criminal cases.

Butler holds an MS in taxation from Northeastern University and a BS in business administration, majoring in accounting, from Merrimack College. He is a licensed Massachusetts CPA.