(October 10, 2025) MUSC Board approves Aaron D. Howell as executive vice president of finance and operations

CHARLESTON, S.C. (Oct. 10, 2025) - The Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) Board of Trustees approved the appointment of Aaron D. Howell, CPA, MBA, as executive vice president of finance and operations. He will start on Dec. 1, replacing Stewart Mixon, who is currently serving in the interim role.

"Aaron brings nearly three decades of financial leadership to MUSC," said David J. Cole, M.D., FACS, president of MUSC. "His strategic insight will be essential as we advance toward our goal of establishing MUSC as a leading academic health system."

Howell comes to MUSC from the University of New Hampshire (UNH) in Durham, New Hampshire, where he currently serves as executive vice president for finance and administration. In addition to the responsibilities of a chief financial officer, this role also has oversight of critical administrative functions, including facilities, human resources, hospitality, campus services and the police department.

Prior to this position, he served as vice president for finance and chief financial officer at ‌Kennesaw State University (KSU) in Kennesaw, Georgia. In this position, he was responsible for all financial operations for this comprehensive university with more than 48,000 students.

Previously in his career, Howell was vice president for business and finance and chief financial officer at Averett University in Danville, Virginia. He also spent 20 years in university finance at his alma mater, Oregon State University (OSU), in Corvallis, Oregon, culminating as assistant vice president and controller.

He earned both a master's and a bachelor's degree. Howell also holds a post-baccalaureate certificate of accountancy. In addition to being a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), he is also a Certified Procurement Manager (C.P.M.) and a Certified Public Procurement Officer (CPPO). He is active with the National Association of College and University Business Officers.

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About MUSC

Founded in 1824 in Charleston, MUSC is the state's only comprehensive academic health system, with a mission to preserve and optimize human life in South Carolina through education, research and patient care. Each year, MUSC educates nearly 3,500 students in six colleges and trains approximately 1,050 residents and fellows across its health system. MUSC leads the state in federal, National Institutes of Health and other research funding. For information on our academic programs, visit musc.edu.

As the health care system of the Medical University of South Carolina, MUSC Health is dedicated to delivering the highest-quality and safest patient care while educating and training generations of outstanding health care providers and leaders to serve the people of South Carolina and beyond. In 2025, for the 11th consecutive year, U.S. News & World Report named MUSC Health University Medical Center in Charleston the No. 1 hospital in South Carolina. To learn more about clinical patient services, visit muschealth.org.

MUSC has a total enterprise annual operating budget of $8.6 billion. The more than 34,400 MUSC members include world-class faculty, physicians, specialty providers, scientists, contract employees, affiliates and care team members who deliver groundbreaking education, research and patient care.