Deborah Barnes, CPA, CGMA, MSA Springfield, VA 703-623-4450 (mobile) [email protected] |www.linkedin.com/in/debbarnes3
C F O | C O O
ASSOCIATION BUSINESS STRATEGIST | FINANCIAL VISIONARY | REVENUE GENERATOR
EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP
Board Committee Relations
Strategic Visioning
Business Goals Alignment
OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT
IT Management
Membership Strategies
Affinity Programs
HUMAN RESOURCES
Benefits Strategy Staff Development
Retirement Strategies
FINANCIAL STRATEGIES
Dashboards and Financial Analysis Budget and Forecasting
Tax Planning
COMPETENCIES THAT DRIVE AND MAXIMIZE RESULTS
Revenue Generation
Turned around seven-years of financial loss to five-years of profitability through retooling affinity program, cost-cutting measures, better management controls and adherence to the bottom line.
Board Relations
Built and guided three Board-level committees to fulfill Board’s fiduciary responsibilities including: Audit, Compensation, and Investment committees. Resulted in hiring new investment advisor and auditor saving 20%.
Dashboard and Financial Analysis
In response to Board concerns about the organization’s financial stability, presented graphical presentation of financial status which indicated a surplus of funds, sound investment performance, and a solid growth trajectory.
Information Technology Management
Led cross-functional website redesign team which resulted in new member-centric website winning three awards for association website design and video presentation. Online transactions increased by 15%.
DELIVERING EFFICIENT, EFFECTIVE FISCAL AND OPERATING LEADERSHIP
CFO 2010 – 2015 American Counseling Association Professional nonprofit membership association for counselors with $12 million budget and 63 staff. Engaged to modernize accounting and information technology systems and infrastructure, develop and train staff, and strengthen the bottom line. (Original title: Assistant Executive Director Finance)
Budgeting| Forecasting and Financial Analysis | Business Goal Alignment. Created budget and forecasting model that engaged and empowered budget managers to increase operational efficiencies.
Aligned budget with strategic plan. Provided streamlined analysis to Financial Affairs Committee monthly by providing graphical dashboards, trend analysis, and targeted information to aid decision-making and oversight, enabling them to see the big picture.
Staff Development. Realigned finance positions to support new departmental vision, trained staff, created staff development plans for all direct reports. Finance and information technology staff had never received professional development training.
Tax Planning. Revised royalty and sponsorship contracts to lessen unrelated business income burden. Consulted on numerous departmental projects concerning tax implications of programs.
Membership Strategies | Affinity Programs. Developed membership models with overlay of Experian data to supplement membership demographics in order to segment and personalize membership communication and to determine flight risk and profitability analysis models. Membership grew by 4%. Negotiated 20% increase in largest affinity program.
Information Technology Management. Upgraded management information systems by moving 12 servers to the cloud and procuring laptops for staff. Outsourced helpdesk functions with significant gain in efficiency and productivity for equivalent cost.
Retirement Strategies. Modernized the TIAA CREF 403(b) plan to include best in class funds beyond the TIAA CREF lineup, updated the 5500 filings, and created a plan document. Hired investment fiduciary to conduct staff training and evaluate fund lineup quarterly. Created 457(f) plan.
DIRECTOR FINANCE 2007-2009 American Association for Justice Major national trade association devoted to advancement and protection of the civil justice system with $30 million budget and 150 employees. Hired to manage 9-member finance team in the oversight of all strategic operations and analysis, to procure and implement finance and Association Management Systems, and to implement strategic modernization vision for finance.
Financial Management. Turned around long neglected financial system, reconciling financial statements and clearing adjustments with the audit firm to close the year and file tax returns for 6 entities within 60 days in this position.
Systems Implementation. Revolutionized the association’s financial management technology, overseeing the replacement of a 20-year-old legacy system with a next generation, fully integrated Microsoft XL Reporter system enabling desktop management and transparency of budgets and financial returns.
Cross-functional Leadership. Played leadership role in Membership Task Force, enabling high-level,
strategic decision-making surrounding a declining revenue stream with the implementation of an interactive
tracking dashboard to monitor and assess membership data.
CFO 2005-2007 Society of Nuclear Medicine & Molecular Imaging Nonprofit association serving professionals in the nuclear medicine field with $10 million budget and 55 employees. Oversaw 9-member team encompassing the finance, membership, benefits, and facilities departments. (Original title: Director Finance)
Budget and Forecasting. Achieved 99% accuracy on the year-end forecast by professionalizing the budgeting and forecasting processes with key trend data, variance analyses, detailed information, and by empowering budget managers to enter their own projections into the system.
Board and Committee Relations. Enhanced overall transparency with the institution of clear policies on reserves and by improving the methods of reporting financial information to the Board.
Net Revenue Generation. Delivered significant budget savings with such efforts as transitioning health carriers for a 40% savings and re-negotiating facilities contract for a $40K savings. Addressed declining revenues by aligning and trending the operating budget with detailed marketing plans involving an aggressive sales initiative of frequent new product releases.
DIRECTOR FINANCE 2004-2005 American Industrial Hygiene Association Trade association for the occupational health and safety field with $10 million budget and 50 employees. Led 4-member finance and accounting team and oversaw IT operations.
Board and Committee Relations. Presented detailed information on investment risk and impact to Board enabling them to segment portion of $8 million reserve to provide funding for future leaders program.
Financial Analysis. Improved reporting to Finance and Audit Committees by delivering timely reports and variance analyses.
Business Goal Alignment. Improved the level of IT support and strategic planning while maintaining budget constraints by outsourcing the IT function and eliminating a manager position.
CONTROLLER 1998-2004 Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) Trade association serving pharmaceutical corporations engaged in research and development of new cures with $100 million budget and 100 employees. Recruited to run a 5-member accounting and budget team in the management of all organizational finances, including transaction recording, developing budgets, analysis, audits, and tax returns. Managed the association’s 401(k), defined benefit pension plan, retiree healthcare, and insurance plans.
Board and Committee Relations. Dramatically improved the transparency of the financial process by establishing a quarterly presentation of financial reporting and analysis to the Finance Committee and by establishing an audit advisory group, each committee comprised executives from the pharmaceutical industry’s top corporations.
Financial Analysis and Reporting. Professionalized and streamlined the entire financial department by implementing formal policies, procedures, and internal controls for accounting systems and by creating models for cash flow, projections, budgeting and reporting.
IT and Membership Strategies. Enhanced operational productivity and the overall value of membership by implementing an organization-wide Association Management System, delivering the project on time and on budget.
Additional roles include positions as Accountant for U.S. Postal Service and as Controller and Accounting Manager for U.S. Conference of Mayors.
EDUCATION
Master of Science in Accountancy, George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia Bachelor of Science in Accountancy and Personnel Management (Dual Major),
Miami University, Oxford, Ohio Ongoing professional development focused on accounting for nonprofit associations, participated in the University
of Maryland’s National Leadership Institute and George Mason University Certificate in Positive Leadership.
Licensed CPA with current permit to practice.
