Campus News

To celebrate Women’s History Month at Rockford University, we’re talking to different women in leadership roles on campus. Our first conversation is with Lisa Custardo, the V.P. for Finance and Chief Financial Officer at RU. Custardo talks about how her career brought her to RU and shares her advice to women in this Q&A.  

How has your career brought you to your present-day role as V.P. for Finance and Chief Financial Officer (CFO) at RU? 

I have spent over 25 years as a financial executive with a dedicated career in promoting and protecting the public good, and impacting the environment on local, national and international levels. Prior to joining the university, I had spent the better part of my career working only with and for organizations that hold educational stewardship, social responsibility, and community partnership in very high regard.  

With special interest in the educational space and a deep affinity with students of higher education, I was invited to bring my talents to the university and join the President’s Cabinet at RU. Over the years, helping others to reach their highest potential, both personally and professionally, has become a major theme in my life and I am fortunate to continue on that very same path as its embedded in the cornerstone of Rockford University’s mission and values.  

What advice do you have for young women working and navigating male-dominated workspaces?   

My advice to anyone navigating a challenging workspace in any way, is to elevate one’s thoughts. In my experience, that has been the key element to all things successful. Innovative ideas, effective plans, synergistic relationships, and robust solutions…all stem from vision with clarity.  

Dominate your workspace with inspired vision and great clarity and all other elements seem to fall into place with a profound precision that is difficult to put into words. As human beings, we are all influenced by superior and collaborative ideas. My advice is to think about dominating your space with more of those and encouraging others to do the same.  

How do you celebrate Women’s History Month? 

The true spirit of celebration is to take part in special enjoyable activities in order to show that a particular event is important. In this case, women’s history is the event and as such, I have a spectacular role in that event – I am a woman.  

It seems to me that the best way I can and do celebrate “Women’s History” is to put conscious focus and attention on making my own life a special enjoyable activity and helping other women in my environment to do the same. In the end, our life will be the history we have and the impact we leave on everyone and everything around us.  

Better Me = BETTER US… as women, as people. Now that’s something to celebrate!   

Check back for more content for Women’s History Month at Rockford University. Also, follow our Instagram, Twitter and Facebook pages to continue the conversation.