Michael “Mike” Lehman, finance executive and UW leader

Michael Francis “Mike” Lehman died in Scottsdale, Arizona, in April 2026, following cancer treatment. He was born August 29, 1950.

Career in finance

Born in Dubuque, Iowa, and raised in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, Lehman attended the University of Wisconsin before serving in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War. He returned to UW–Madison and earned a degree from the Wisconsin School of Business in 1974.

He began as an accountant with Price Waterhouse in San Francisco, later becoming chief financial officer at Sun Microsystems during its growth. He also served as CFO at Palo Alto Networks and Arista Networks during important periods of business expansion and public-market transitions.

University leadership

Lehman became active in UW–Madison's advisory and governance work in the mid-1990s. He chaired the Wisconsin School of Business Dean's Advisory Board, served on the UW Foundation Board and chaired its Audit Committee.

In 2016, he was appointed interim vice chancellor for finance and administration. He later served as interim vice provost for information technology and chief information officer. The obituary credits him with co-leading early work that contributed to the university's Computing, Data and Information Sciences initiative. He subsequently returned to the business school as CFO and COO.

Personal life and memorial

Lehman enjoyed tennis, basketball, golf, pickleball, cycling and marathon running. Survivors include his wife, Jean Chan; daughter Dr. Katelyn Lehman and grandson Nolan Dowling; son Bradford Lehman; and stepdaughter Shannon Fung and granddaughter Avery O'Leary.

A memorial service was planned for July 18, 2026, in Maple Bluff, Wisconsin, with additional details available from the family.