Suzanne P. Welsh, innovative retired vice president of finance and treasurer at Swarthmore, has died at 71

Suzanne P. Welsh, 71, of Swarthmore, innovative retired vice president of finance and treasurer at Swarthmore College, former chair of investment committees at the William Penn Foundation and the Board of Pensions of the Presbyterian Church, mentor, and church elder, died Friday, Feb. 28, of pancreatic cancer at her home.

Ms. Welsh was an expert in financial and investment management, and she oversaw Swarthmore’s multimillion-dollar operating budget as chief financial officer from 2002 to her retirement in 2015. She handled the budget, investments, financial aid and planning, accounting, auditing, and institutional research during all sorts of pecuniary conditions.

She deftly grew the college’s resources during heady economic days and, using innovative corrective measures, protected them during tough times. “From the budget to the endowment, our debt structure, and beyond, Sue kept all the plates spinning like a magician,” Swarthmore board manager Tom Spock said in a tribute.

She was quoted in The Inquirer several times during the turbulent early 2000s about Swarthmore finances and said in 2001: “We always said wait until the rainy days come. If this stock doldrum continues, we’ll be drawing on the money we were accused of hoarding to keep our programs running at their current level.”

Harold Kalkstein, chair of the Swarthmore managers, said in a tribute: “Sue played a pivotal role in advancing the vitality and growth of the college.”

She earned degrees in math and accounting at the University of Delaware, and finance at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School. She joined Swarthmore as assistant treasurer in 1983 and became treasurer in 1989 and vice president of finance in 2002.

Former colleagues noted her “work ethic, integrity, and high standards” and “thoughtful, generous, and giving“ nature in online tributes. Swarthmore president Valerie Smith said: “She is remembered for the deep knowledge and care that she dedicated to the college and its mission.”

Ms. Welsh was active with Swarthmore’s Committee for Socially Responsible Investing, and it influenced Lockheed Martin to improve its nondiscrimination equal employment policy in 2003. “It was reaffirming to see the power that colleges and universities can exert to bring about social improvement,” she told the school’s student newspaper.

One former colleague said she often handled sticky situations by asking herself: “What would Sue do?” In 2011, donor Eugene Lang endowed the biennial Suzanne P. Welsh Award for outstanding service by Swarthmore staffers.

“She approached conversations with students, staff, faculty, and board members equally with respect and patience.”

“Those who had the privilege of working with Sue can attest to her personal warmth and commitment to the college,” Kalkstein said. Her family said in a tribute: “She enjoyed the intellectual and personal connections she made with faculty, staff, and students from throughout the world.”

Ms. Welsh chaired investment committees for the William Penn Foundation and the Board of Pensions of the Presbyterian Church, was a board member for the Foundation for Delaware County, and was a trustee for the Insight Select Income Fund. She championed women’s rights and the environment, and spoke at college leadership conferences and seminars.

She supported the inclusion of students on Swarthmore’s endowment committee and told The Inquirer in 2001: “We feel it’s an extension of our curriculum for our students to learn about corporate governance.”

She was a financial analyst for DuPont for six years after Wharton and answered an ad by Swarthmore for a part-time job. “She was a true blessing to all who knew her and a model for a good life,” a former colleague said.

Suzanne Roberts Painter was born March 20, 1953, in Philadelphia. She grew up in Havertown, joined Girl Scout Troop 293, worked on the school newspaper, and was valedictorian of her class at Haverford High School.

“She was unfailingly calm and gracious, and responded thoughtfully to questions from the simplest to the most sophisticated.”

She earned two bachelor’s degrees with honors at Delaware in 1975 and a master’s degree at Wharton in 1976. She met Robert Welsh at Delaware, and they married in 1979 and had daughters Emily, Liza, and Mary and a son, Joseph.

Ms. Welsh doted on her children and grandchildren, and spent many afternoons with them at zoos, aquariums, water parks, and science museums. Her family called her Suzie.

She was an elder at Swarthmore Presbyterian Church and an “intrepid adventurer,” her family said, on journeys to Europe, Argentina, China, and elsewhere. “Sue was one of the most thoughtful, generous, and giving people I’ve ever known,” Swarthmore’s Spock said. “We were just so lucky to have her as a leader and as a friend.”

In addition to her husband and children, Ms. Welsh is survived by 10 grandchildren, a sister, a brother, and other relatives.

Services were held March 15.