SACUBO Distinguished Service Award

The Distinguished Service Award is given annually to recognize an individual in the SACUBO region for his or her distinguished service to higher education in the field of business and financial management. The recipient of the 2025 Award was recognized at the 2025 Annual Meeting in Miami, Florida.

Guidelines and Eligibility

Nominees must be contributing members of our professional community and must be, or have been, directly associated with managing resources in higher education.
Nominees must show mature and effective professional skills, leadership ability, and vision.
Nominees may not be currently serving on the SACUBO Board, staff, or Distinguished Service Committee.

Awards will be made at the selection committee's discretion and with the approval of the SACUBO Board of Directors. It is not required that the award be given annually.

2025 Recipient

John Crawford

Texas A&M University

John Crawford is the recipient of the 2025 Distinguished Service Award. John is the Vice President for Finance and Chief Financial Officer for Texas A&M University. He leads and directs all financial resources for Texas A&M University, including fiscal operations, short- and long-range planning, budgeting, financial analysis, payroll, procurement and contracting.

John has been employed in various finance related positions within Texas A&M University since 1998. Prior to assuming his current role, he served for eight years as the Chief Financial Officer for the Texas A&M Engineering Program. Prior to that, he served for 5 years as the Assistant Vice President and Controller for Texas A&M University. He received his Bachelor of Business Administration in accounting from Texas A&M University and is a Certified Public Accountant. In 2019, John was named a Regents Fellow by the Texas A&M System Board of Regents for significant commitment and contributions, exceptional leadership, and service to the state of Texas and beyond.

John has served as a volunteer for SACUBO for 15 years, with 12 years in various positions on the SACUBO Board. He served as SACUBO President in 2022–2023 and as a member of the NACUBO Board from 2020 through 2024.

“Although John serves on the executive team for Texas A&M and has served as president for SACUBO, he remains approachable and available to employees and members at all levels. He is authentic and genuine. He mentors others and willingly shares his experience and expertise. John respects the opinions and contributions of others. He encourages different perspectives and values input that may be different from his own. Because of the respect he gives to others, he has earned the respect of his employees and his peers.”