Manisha Chaudhuri
Senior Director of Accounting, Budget, and Procurement, Chicago Booth School of Business

In honor of the 2023 Alice W. Chandler Staff Service Recognition Ceremony held June 22, we’re profiling some of the staff members who are celebrating this year the longest tenures at the University of Chicago.

You can view the on-demand portion of the ceremony, plus check out the full list of 2023 honorees on the UChicago Intranet.

Manisha Chaudhuri celebrates year 45 at UChicago. She started her career as a post-award administrator in the Comptroller’s Office, and over 45 years has worked in nine different positions in three different areas, including the Student Activities Office and Chicago Booth School of Business. Today, she serves as the senior director of accounting, budget, and procurement at Booth.

She answered our questions about her interests and experiences:

Q: What initially brought you to the University? What role were you in then?
I live in Hyde Park, so working for an esteemed University like University of Chicago was a natural choice for me. I wanted to work with an organization that fosters innovation, knowledge, and research.

Q: How has your role changed/grown over the past 45 years?
I had started as a post-award administrator in the Comptroller’s Office. My current position is my ninth position—over last 45 years, I have worked in three areas: Comptroller’s Office, Student Activities Office, and Chicago Booth (formerly known as GSB) School of Business. As time progressed, I became interested in other areas, have acquired further education and certification, and moved on to my choice of positions.

Q: Where are you originally from?
I was born and raised in Kolkata, India, a very populous, cosmopolitan, international metropolis. So, when I came to Chicago, I just fit in.

Q: What is it that you enjoy most about your role?
I truly enjoy the freedom of bringing new ideas, thoughts, and ability to make changes. I love working with complex problems and finding solutions. I love my ability to recruit, retain, and develop a top-performing team so together we create sustainable value to my division.

Q: What is it that you enjoy about UChicago? What’s kept you here all these years?
I love the intellectual environment that enhances my ability to gain new knowledge and bring best-in-class ideas and processes to my team and to my department. The University working environment has also given me the opportunity to balance my home and work life. While working, I was able to raise my kids, enrich my home life, and enhance my higher/professional education further and achieve career growth. Living in Hyde Park and having a supporting and loving family also helps.

Q: Do you have any favorite UChicago-related memories from over the years you can share with us?
In (UChicago’s 11th president) Hugo Sonnenschein’s inauguration, he danced non-stop with the crowd.

Q: What do you enjoy doing outside of work?
I enjoy spending time with my family, cooking, listening to music, watching videos, going to shows, and taking technology classes. I am a lifelong learner.