CFO of the Year: Introduction from Publisher Mitch Bettis

2 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.
Chief financial officers don't usually grandstand or seek the limelight, so the idea of honoring them at an awards luncheon might seem unusual.
Greg McKinney didn't envision leading an accounting group at a public company when he first began to imagine the possibilities afforded by an accounting degree.
Bell & Co. has grown to 38 employees and has a variety of boutique accounting specialties, especially working for trucking companies.
During her sophomore year in college, Julie Carpenter homed in on accounting as a degree offering the most opportunity and versatility in the business world.
Aaron Gerbitz thought his natural aptitude would lend itself to a career as a professional poker player, but his parents insisted on college, where he worked toward a psychology degree.
Staley Technologies is the third family-owned business for which Jason Keith has worked. He enjoys working for this type of business because he can learn a lot about how to be successful from owners he interacts with on a regular basis.
It took a bit longer than he expected, but Brent Mills landing at pb2 architecture + engineering in Rogers has turned out to be worth the wait.
It has been a heck of a journey for Hex Bisbee and the company he joined as CFO 21 years ago.
Gina Dailey took an accounting class in her sophomore year in high school and was hooked. Numbers came easy to her and “made sense,” she said.
Jason Evins didn't get in with C.R. Crawford Construction on the ground floor, but he is certainly helping the company deal with any growing pains.
Jon Dor believes transparency in finances strengthens an organization and appreciates that it's a requirement for the nonprofit museum.
Marie Gieringer's first money-earning activity was selling Girl Scout cookies as part of the nonprofit's financial literacy program.
In 2018, Styron joined CARTI as CFO, just as the cancer treatment provider was transforming itself under the leadership of CEO Adam Head.
Mary Beth Olvey was a hometown girl who always knew exactly what she wanted to be when she grew up … until she didn't.
Todd Townsend knew that he liked numbers and that he enjoyed working at cooperative utilities, but it was a “good lateral move” that brought him home to Ozarks Electric Cooperative Corp.
Kecia Wolf's title at the Texarkana electric cooperative is long and extensive, but her path to becoming a CFO opened up early and simply.
At the University of the Ozarks, Gloria Arcia's duties include being responsible for the school's endowment of about $110 million, its $24 million operating budget and its $1.7 million real estate trust.
Henderson State University hired Rita Fleming a year ago, after a state audit found 15 instances of apparent regulatory violations at the university. So she had a mess to clean up.
There are hands-on CFOs and then there is Kimberly Hadley.