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Valerie O'Kane

Center for Astrophysics
Assistant Director of Finance and Administration

About

Valerie O’Kane is the Assistant Director of Finance and Administration of the Harvard College Observatory (HCO) with responsibility for the HCO budget, HCO contract and grant administration, managing the HCO Business Office and appointments, the SAO/HCO rebill and general day-to-day operations of the observatory. 

Valerie is a seasoned financial professional who began her career at Harvard in 1992 as a staff assistant in the Central Payroll Office. In 1994 she moved to the FAS Extension School as the Payroll Administrator/Assistant Human Resource Officer. Valerie returned to Harvard Central Administration in 2002 as an accounting assistant and in 2004 became one of two payroll accountants for the University. Valerie was recognized as a Harvard Hero in 2005 as part of the University's W2 Team. In 2007 she moved to the Harvard Kennedy School as the Financial Manager of the Malcolm Wiener Center for Social Policy. She joined the Harvard College Observatory in 2018 as the Assistant Director of Finance and Administration.

ALM: Business Management - Harvard University – Division of Continuing

BSBA: Management - Suffolk University

AS: Accounting - Bay State College