Board Member Appointments Ending

Next week many of us will converge on Sacramento to participate in CSMFO’s marquee offering of the year – our annual conference. For me, the excitement of this annual coming together is partially tempered though, as the conference will also formally conclude my three-year term representing the south part of the state on the CSMFO Board of Directors. The CSMFO Board is made up of 6 Board Members representing the north and south regions of the state, the President Elect, President and Past President – though in a vote that took place last month, the Board of Directors approved replacing the Past President with a Commercial Board Member beginning next January. It has been an honor to serve on the CSMFO Board after being involved at the committee level for over a decade.

One of the more significant decisions the CSMFO Board made during my tenure was bringing in our first employee – Executive Director Jean Rousseau, who began serving CSMFO on January 31st one year ago. Jean has done an incredible job of providing committees with insight, helping the organization get more value out of Smith Moore & Associates (our association management company), moving organization initiatives forward and helping the Board plan for the future. I am thrilled with the decision we made to bring him in as our Executive Director, and anticipate very positive things for CSMFO with Jean helping to guide the way.

CSMFO is a wonderful organization powered by volunteers that give varying amounts of their time to help the organization succeed. I have been blessed by my participation, and I know you would be, too. Many opportunities for involvement amount to just a couple of hours a month. To see a list of ways you could be a part of helping to drive this organization forward, connect with myself, someone else you know is already involved, or check out the Volunteer Interest Form on our website here.

As I reflect on my time the last three years as Board of Directors, I cannot help but reflect how CSMFO has evolved and yet remained dedicated to its mission to serve our members. My term started in the beginning of 2020, and we all know what happened next: the pandemic has quite literally turned the apple cart upside down in the way we work and conduct business. In a very short period of time, we all had to adjust to working in a virtual environment. CSMFO was no different; our leaders and volunteers stepped up and became more dedicated than ever. As Board liaison to the Career Development Committee and Professional Standards Committee, I witnessed first-hand how quickly our course offerings were pivoted from in-person to online, how webinars were expanded to provide timely and important information, and how communications became more robust than ever to keep our members up to date on various accounting standards.

We also balanced those isolated months of working alone at home by creating opportunities for members across the State to connect through virtual happy hours including karaoke! The 2021 Annual Conference became CSMFO’s first-ever virtual conference, and a huge success, with record attendance at over 2,000 people. CSMFO never missed a beat. Through unprecedented uncertainty, CSMFO evolved seamlessly and remained steadfast in its mission to provide continuing education, professional development, and networking opportunities to its members.

New initiatives were also introduced during my term on the Board, including a revamping of member dues structure to attract finance professionals at all levels, enhancing our engagement with commercial members, and expanding our reach to students to prepare the next generation of new leaders. I am so proud to be a part of an organization that is dedicated to serving its members. As we transition to the next phase, CSMFO will continue that work, whether it be in-person, virtual, or both. To that end, I am looking forward to being back in-person for the 2023 Annual Conference, which has been planned with many exciting opportunities for members to learn and connect with one another.

Finally, and on a personal note, being active in CSMFO has been a game changer for me. CSMFO has provided me with valuable training that enhanced my professional development, given me opportunities to improve my public speaking skills, and introduced me to colleagues throughout the State who I can turn to for advice and perspective. As my term on the Board ends, I look forward to remaining active with CSMFO. Thank you so much for the opportunity to serve on the CSMFO Board of Directors. It has truly been an honor.