James E. Dunne is Executive Vice President Administration and CFO of NORC. He oversees all of NORC’s administrative departments including Finance, Accounting, Contracts Administration, Human Resources, Facilities Management, and Procurement. Dunne’s expertise includes commercial, not-for-profit, and federal government law and regulations in accounting, taxes, corporate governance, contracts and procurement including GAAP, FASB, UCC, SOX, CAS, FAR, IRS, and OMB.
Dunne has 40 years of experience planning and managing all facets of administration for large professional service research organizations in the commercial and government sectors. As EVP and CFO, he has oversight and responsibility for NORC Administrative activities including planning and managing all aspects of the financial performance of NORC including Accounting, Human Resources, Facilities Management and Procurement, and the office providing support to research departments on negotiation and management of grants and contracts. In addition, he collaborates with the CIO in overseeing that portion of NORC’s technical infrastructure which supports the administrative functions.
Since coming to NORC in 2006, Dunne has reorganized and improved processes and procedures in each of the administrative departments. He has implemented a multi-tiered indirect cost recovery structure which has linked indirect cost recovery more closely to the ultimate cost objective. He is responsible for recruiting and maintaining over 2000 staff. He has modified the NORC benefit plans maintaining coverage and significantly lowering cost. He has led the creation and implementation of a corporate policy manual compliant with all applicable government regulations. Dunne manages negotiation and administration of 400 active contracts totaling over $400 million in value. He has centralized the contracts administration and procurement functions and implemented procedures insuring compliance with government contract and procurement regulations. Dunne is responsible for space planning and management, and meeting NORC’s increasing requirements for space, currently over 210,000 square feet. He has planned initiated and completed the acquisition and build-out of additional space at 55 E. Monroe in Chicago, at 1155 E. 60th Street in Hyde Park and in Bethesda, Maryland. Dunne has also been very active in assisting the Board of Trustees on various governance issues.
Before coming to NORC, Dunne was the Vice President of Administration and CFO of the Gas Technology Institute (GTI) from 2000 through 2006. Dunne combined two large energy research organizations resulting in one entity with an annual volume in excess of $200 million. He successfully combined all administrative functions of the two organizations including accounting, contracts, human resources, information technology, and facilities. Dunne has formed over 40 subsidiary entities, several of which went on to become established, fully operational enterprises. He generated in excess of $70 million in net income from the management of over 1000 active patents. He successfully managed and closed out a 25 year $3 billion research program for the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission leaving a viable self-sustaining entity to continue gas industry research. Prior to joining GTI, Dunne was the Vice President of Administration and CFO of the Institute of Gas Technology (IGT) from 1989 where he had full responsibility for all financial and administrative functions of the organization.