2012 CFO Awards

Chief financial officers are about as boastful as chief information officers are chatty. They seek the spotlight as eagerly as an IRS audit. And probably the biggest self-endorsement they will offer all year is their Sarbanes-Oxley-required signature certifying their organization’s financial statements. read more >

When Kim Crook said that during her 23 years at First Arkansas Bank & Trust she’s never had a day where she didn’t want to come to work, a listener is inclined to believe her, particularly after she lists the reasons for that devotion to duty. read more >

Back as a young accountant fresh out of law school and working for Arthur Andersen in Houston, Tom Gibbons figured an Arkansas job interview would amount to nothing more than a “great opportunity to go duck hunting.” He never got the chance to visit a duck blind, but his interview with the firm now known simply as Frost PLLC evidently was a good one: The trip lasted four days. read more >

Maynes said Whole Hog’s quality makes it a strong business. “I think it’s definitely the commitment to consistently putting out a high-quality product no matter what location,” he said. read more >

Judy Shelley’s 30 years as a CPA have led her around the South and finally to Flake & Kelley Commercial as CFO. read more >

Mark Hartman, 49, is the senior vice president for finance and treasurer for the Arkansas Heart Hospital in Little Rock. read more >

While attending Hot Springs High School, Phyllis Rogers stumbled upon an accounting class and decided to take it. “It was the best thing I ever did,” said Rogers, 49. “It was such a practical application of numbers that it still fed my love of numbers but in a very practical way.” read more >

Mary-Lou Dunn taught special ed for seven years in Searcy’s public schools and served on the Sunshine School’s board throughout those years before she committed to the Sunshine School of Searcy full time. read more >

Conway’s nonprofit economic development organization, the Conway Development Corp., initially hired Laura Grimes in 2008 to manage the finances for a $32 million development project, that of the Hewlett-Packard Co. building at 355 Ledgelawn Drive. The project, which was completed in 2010, was part of how the city recruited HP to Conway. read more >

Pittillo, executive vice president and CFO of Pine Bluff National Bank, began his professional life as a purchasing coordinator for Century Tube & Conduit late in 2001 and had not considered banking. But current PBNB President and CEO Chuck Morgan saw something in Pittillo, recruited him, and Pittillo had a new career. read more >

Stricklin, who is also Bank of Fayetteville executive vice president, has worked in accounting, lending, data processing and operations management in a banking career that began when he was in college. Throw in work with a bank consulting firm in Houston, and it is clear Stricklin knows a little something about the business. read more >

Since joining Community First Bank of Harrison in December 2001, Ann Main has helped oversee operations where total assets have grown from $203 million to $496 million. read more >

By the time he finished his accounting degree at Louisiana Tech University, he had set his sights on becoming CFO of a publicly traded company. McKinney, now 44, achieved that goal in 2011 at Bank of the Ozarks Inc., one of the most respected banking companies in the country. read more >

Jason Taylor has always been good with numbers, so his banking career and rise to chief financial officer should come as no surprise. After flirting with retail for two years, Taylor returned to his hometown to work at First Community Bank of Batesville and hasn’t looked back. read more >