Long before he was managing multi-million dollar assets or navigating complex state audits, J’Maine Chubb was a struggling student.
That enduring work ethic is exactly what Texas Southern University needs right now. As the university’s new chief financial officer, Chubb is trading his early-career “grind” for the weight of TSU’s financial future to restore trust and stability.
Growing up in Detroit, Chubb worked full-time as a student at Wayne State University, carrying a full course load, running his own window-cleaning business on weekends, and holding a full-time job with the State of Michigan during the week. This deepened his appreciation for institutions that create opportunities for students from underserved backgrounds.
“I remember those times feeling like a zombie,” he said. “But you’ll see during that period of time I had all A’s, and so somehow I was able to do it.”
After years of balancing full-time jobs while earning his accounting and MBA degrees at Wayne State University, Chubb told the Defender he understands firsthand the challenges many students face in pursuing higher education. The grind, Chubb said, shaped why joining an HBCU mattered to him.
“It resonates with me…an organization that is looking to help individuals who are disadvantaged,” Chubb added. “I know that there are organizations that I could work for that I may not be a fit for…You don’t feel like that when you work in a space where a lot of people look like you.”
Armed with executive education programs at Columbia Business School and the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, Chubb’s career has taken him from Toronto to San Antonio and now to Houston.
“Texas Southern University has a strong legacy and an important future,” Chubb said. “I am excited to join the University and work alongside leadership, faculty, staff, and students to strengthen the institution and support its continued growth and impact.”
J’Maine Chubb, Texas Southern University’s new chief financial officer and vice president of Business & Administration
Chubb brings more than 20 years of experience leading financial operations across transportation, aviation, telecommunications, and infrastructure sectors.
Starting out, Chubb held roles as an accounting manager at CITGO Petroleum, global controller and business-unit CFO at Halliburton, financial reporting specialist at Toyota, and accountant for the State of Michigan.
Moving up the corporate ladder, Chubb served as the chief finance officer at VIA Metropolitan Transit in San Antonio, the Greater Toronto Airports Authority, TravelWifi, and the Houston Airport System.
“My family and I decided that we wanted to move back to the States [from Toronto], and so I could not see myself there on a longer-term basis, and so we made the move back. I actually moved to San Antonio,” he said.
Today, the certified public accountant, his wife, and their two young sons, a six-year old and a three-year old, live in Houston with his in-laws.
Don’t miss the upcoming interview with CFO Chubb as he shares his plans for TSU’s financial future.
