Fluent in Italian and French, Berman earned a B.A. in French literature from Cornell University but went on to the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania to receive an M.B.A.

But then, after nearly a decade in public accounting, Berman pursued graduate studies in Italian and Italian literature. Her literary work includes a translation of Citta del Sole, a major Italian text from the seventeenth century, according to the Harvard Gazette.

Berman resumed finance work at Harvard in 1991, and in October 2002 was named acting vice president for finance, after the previous finance chief, Elizabeth C. “Beppie” Huidekoper, left for Brown University. Tempted by Europe, Berman initially hesitated to take the job permanently. She did so in February 2003, convinced by University President Lawrence H. Summers, whom she called “pretty persuasive.”

Ultimately, Berman said she found the job “so interesting that I was willing to make the sacrifice,” and saw the position as an opportunity to make her mark on Harvard’s finances.

But Berman said that she committed to the position for only three years, so the decision to step down in 2006 was hatched at the start of her tenure.

—Staff writer Nicholas M. Ciarelli can be reached at ciarelli@fas.harvard.edu.