Daarel E. Burnette was appointed Vice President for Finance on September 4, 2008. As Vice President for Finance, he is responsible for the university's accounting, investments, payroll, human resources, purchasing, public safety, information technology, business services, and budgeting.

Prior to coming to Grambling State University, Mr. Burnette served as Interim Vice Chancellor for Finance and Administration at Winston Salem State University (WSSU) in North Carolina. While at WSSU, he was a member of the University’s executive leadership team and played a key role in the University’s strategic and master plan development processes. He was also responsible for budget preparation, certification compliance, risk management, facilities administration, human resources, auxiliary services, and purchasing.

Mr. Burnette served as a senior finance officer in the United States Air Force (Lieutenant Colonel, Retired), where he was responsible for the preparation and daily oversight of numerous multi-million and multi-billion dollar programs.
Mr. Burnette holds a B.S. degree in Business Administration from Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia, 1978; and an MBA from Georgia College in Milledgeville, Georgia, 1985.

The Vice President of Finance is the Chief Financial Officer for the university.His responsibilities are to ensure fiscal responsibility and to determine monetary policy. The individual university units that report to the Vice President of Finance are: