A former Eagle Scout, Army officer and CFO, Brian Caputo '82 brought all those skill sets to bear in steering the College of DuPage through the pandemic.
If you’re facing a real crisis — say, the need to keep a 21,000-student college going through a global pandemic — it’s not a bad idea to have a guy like Brian Caputo in charge.
Caputo started honing his leadership skills as a teen in the Chicago suburbs, earning his Boy Scouts of America Eagle Award, then attended the United States Military Academy at West Point. He served in the active and reserve military, gaining a specialty in finance and human resources and eventually becoming a lieutenant colonel.
Enjoying the precision of working in finance, he earned a master’s degree from DePaul and served in several suburban governments, eventually spending 19 years as chief financial officer (CFO) of the city of Aurora. Along the way, he picked up a second master’s, this time in public administration, from Northern Illinois University, and then a Ph.D.
Commanding the title of Dr. Caputo, he switched jobs in 2017 to become CFO at the College of DuPage (COD) because he wanted to help students move forward in life. In July 2019, he stepped into the president’s role at the community college — just a couple of months before the pandemic hit. Caputo spoke with Fra Noi about his experiences and his Italian heritage. [excerpt/photo from franoi.com]