By Eliza Rohda ‘26

 

Some teenagers dream of becoming doctors or teachers, maybe engineers or musicians. Todd Sheldon knew since he was in high school that he wanted to be York University’s chief financial officer. He would achieve this dream, but not without a few detours.

Sheldon grew up in York, and he watched his father serve as York College’s business manager in the 70s, a position equivalent to today’s chief financial officer. Sheldon met his wife, Denise (Scott ‘81), at YC and went on to Harding University to complete his accounting degree. He and his best friend used to make plans to come back to work at York—“We said I’d be the CFO and he could be the president, and I would work for him, because he was much more outgoing than I was.” Sheldon chuckled, “Well, I made it, and he didn’t.” 

But it would be a while before Sheldon made it back. After finishing his accounting degree, he got a job in Arkansas, and then another job. A couple of decades and three children later, he still had not returned to York. He was not sure he would make it back, except for the occasional visit at Homecoming. “We had always wanted to come back to the Midwest,” Denise said. “We just didn’t know how God was going to get us here, or when.” 

Then Sheldon got a call from York’s president at the time, Dr. Wayne Baker. 

Yet, when the job offer came, Sheldon said no. As much as he loved York, he and Denise had built a comfortable life in Arkansas. They had a family they would have to uproot and a community they had spent 20 years building. 

“I didn’t go looking for the change, the change came to me,” Sheldon said. “That’s just the accountant in me—I don’t like change.” The CFO position remained open for another year and a half after that first phone call, and Baker called again. “I wanted to come back,” Sheldon said. “York was the place that I loved.” This time, he said yes. 

Twenty-three years later, Sheldon has not looked back. His time managing York University’s finances was full of ups and downs, but he always found hopeful patterns in the midst of the paperwork and spreadsheets. “There have been so many times when I didn’t know what the solution to an issue was, and donors would come out of nowhere to resolve it,” Sheldon said. He remembered a time in the early 2000s, when he was still relatively new to the job. Not enough money was coming in, and Sheldon was going to have to make some hard decisions. Then a call came saying that a gentleman had unexpectedly passed away in a car accident and had left the majority of his estate to York. “We got a call saying it may be over a million dollars. When it was all said and done, it was almost 5 million,” Sheldon recalled. This unexpected gift paid off past deficits and helped complete the interior of the Prayer Chapel after it was moved to campus.

Sheldon has signed off on every expense at YU during the last 23 years. His favorite projects were new buildings and renovations. “That’s what I consider to be the fun part of my job, when I get to see something come up out of the ground from nothing,” Sheldon said. He has overseen several significant campus additions, including construction of Gibbs and Studebaker Halls, the Campbell Activity Center, the Bartholomew Performing Arts Center, along with many renovations, including Levitt Library (now called the ARC at Levitt) and Hulitt Hall. “Seeing the improvement on campus, seeing that we take care of needs—that brings me joy.” 

His impact on campus doesn’t stop at his CFO duties. “Every job he’s had, he wants to know all the aspects of it,” Denise said. “He wants to be able to jump in anywhere if needed.” Besides managing YU’s finances, Sheldon has been known to help out in the bookstore and post office, manage the time clock at basketball and volleyball games, offer a hand at book buy-backs and even deliver homemade cinnamon rolls with Denise to the cafeteria’s Saturday brunch. He has also taught Math in the Real World and the occasional business class, giving him the chance to interact more with students. “I like to get to know students outside of them paying their bills,” he said.

“One of the things that I really love about being here is hearing some of the students' stories,” Sheldon said. “I don’t get to know many students, and so I am reminded from time to time of what our purpose is all about, hearing how lives were changed and impacted by their time here. That's what I want, is to work for a place that can make a difference in lives.” 

As he moves into retirement in September, Sheldon is looking forward to continuing to make a difference in the lives of those around him. He is excited to have more time to support East Hill Church of Christ, do some woodworking projects for his kids, spend more time with family—and travel. “I love traveling. I would go as much and as far and as wide as I could afford,” he said. “There are plenty of places we have never seen.” With kids and grandkids spread out from Wisconsin to Alabama, he has no shortage of stops to make as he tours the country. As for international travel, he has already been to Ecuador, the Dominican Republic, Mexico and Scotland. Who knows what’s next? “I’d like to start making a list of places to visit,” he said. 

During the Spring 2026 commencement ceremony, Sheldon was honored for the impact he has made on York University with a Doctorate of Humane Letters. This honorary degree is reserved for individuals who have not only gone above and beyond in their work, but have bettered their community and modeled a life of service. President Tim Westbrook presented the degree, saying, “Todd Sheldon has tirelessly and selflessly given 23 years. The campus we have today is, in many ways, sitting on his shoulders. During two and a half decades, he witnessed extreme moments of the school’s history, yet through it all, he has been a rock of stability.” 

Congratulations to Dr. Todd Sheldon on his retirement and for this well-deserved honor!