CFO of the Year

WINNER - Small Private Company CFO: Brian Hughes, RevUnit

12 months ago

Walmart Inc. of Bentonville was the perfect training ground for Brian Hughes.

WINNER - Large Private Company CFO: Bryan Bruich, Nabholz

12 months ago

Bryan Bruich has been busy lately. In the last 18 months, the CFO of Nabholz Construction of Conway has helped it expand into the solar and the rail transit sectors.

WINNER - Nonprofit/Public Sector CFO: Tom Dunn, Southwest Power Pool

12 months ago

Tom Dunn's first choice was to be a scientist, but he discovered rather late that the chemistry wasn't right.

WINNER - Bank CFO: Brent Black, Malvern National Bank

12 months ago

Brent Black has worked 14 consecutive years as a chief financial officer at four stops along a career track dominated by banking. The unbroken string began with a trio of Arkadelphia ventures.

WINNER - Education CFO: Tina Wheelis, Ozarka College

12 months ago

At one point, Ozarka College in Melbourne had a student loan default rate of 42% and could have lost federal aid. Good thing the school had Tina Wheelis as its vice president of finance.

CFO of the Year: Introduction from Publisher Mitch Bettis

12 months ago

Chief financial officers don't usually grandstand or seek the limelight, so the idea of honoring them at an awards luncheon might seem unusual.

CFO Lifetime Achievement: Karla Payne, Arvest Bank

12 months ago

When colleagues and friends heard Karla Payne was receiving a Lifetime Achievement Award, she had to make clear it was not the crowning achievement of her career. She has plenty of goals left to chase.

Lifetime Achievement in Accounting: Steven Warren, BKD

12 months ago

If Steven Warren seems young to be enjoying retirement so thoroughly, keep in mind that BKD LLP has a mandatory retirement age of 62. And he beat that by three years.

Small Private Company CFO: Craig Carter, Trinity Property Management

12 months ago

Craig Carter wasn't looking to change jobs when he took a call in 2016 from Dave Pinson, CEO of Trinity Property Management LLC of Fort Smith.

Small Private Company CFO: Stuart McLendon, Dyne Hospitality Group and Blue Flame Minerals

12 months ago

Stuart McLendon is committed to growth, both the growth of Dyne Hospitality Group, the largest Tropical Smoothie Cafe franchisee in the United States, and to personal growth. His career reflects that commitment.

Large Private Company CFO: Bryan Jackson, Jefferson Regional Medical Center

12 months ago

Bryan Jackson was hired in 2011 as senior vice president and chief financial officer, marking his third time since the 1990s working for the nonprofit Pine Bluff hospital.

Large Private Company CFO: Scott Westjohn, Central Moloney

12 months ago

Scott Westjohn spends a lot of time on the road between his home in Conway and his job at Central Moloney Inc. in Pine Bluff, but at least he's not driving an Oscar Mayer Wienermobile.

Nonprofit/Public Sector CFO: Randal Black, Arkansas Cattlemen's Association

12 months ago

Randal Black has been called a cowboy all his life, and no wonder. He looks the part.

Nonprofit/Public Sector CFO: Nikki Parnell, Little Rock Convention & Visitors Bureau

12 months ago

Nikki Parnell came to the LRCVB in 2015, a busy time for the bureau, during which it completed the expansion and renovation of the Robinson Center.

Bank CFO: Kim Cullum, First Arkansas Bank & Trust

12 months ago

Accounting just clicked with Kim Cullum as a teenager. Two years of high school accounting began her abiding passion for it.

Bank CFO: Joann West, Farmers & Merchants Bank

12 months ago

Joann West admits her enthusiasm level was lacking when a job offer in banking came her way.

Education CFO: Alex Becker, University of Arkansas at Monticello

12 months ago

Alex Becker, the man who “just wanted to get out” of school, now works for one: the University of Arkansas at Monticello, as its vice chancellor for finance and administration.

Education CFO: Gina Terry, University of Arkansas System

12 months ago

After a nearly 20-year detour, Gina Terry landed back at the University of Arkansas, in a sense, although her office is in Little Rock. Terry keeps the UA System's finances in check, as CFO and vice president of finance.