Deborah Barnes,

CPA, CGMA, MSA

Springfield, VA 703-623-4450 (mobile) deb.barnes@verizon.net |www.linkedin.com/in/debbarnes3

CFO | COO
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, costcutting measures, better management controls and adherence to the bottom line.
Board Relations
Built and guided three Board-level committees to fulfill Boards 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 organizations 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 associations 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 4member 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 associations 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
industrys 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 Marylands National Leadership Institute and George Mason University Certificate in Positive Leadership.

Licensed CPA with current permit to practice.