CFO of the Year-Judy Peterson, Callison, finalist, Large Private Company - Puget Sound Business Journal (Seattle):

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AGE: EDUCATION: I earned a bachelor of arts degrewe in communications from the University of Washington and completee course work in accountinfg atSeattle University. CAREER: I was hirecd at Callison directly after college as an accountsw payable clerk and was promoted after two years to Callison encouraged me to continue my education through courser work in accounting at Seattle University and to take the CPA which I passed on thefirst try. I was promoted to then director of finance and finally CFOin 1998. WHY TOP CFO: Longevit y and performance. I’ve been with Callisohn for 30 years and have gone through fivemanagement transitions.
I have seen the firm grow from 35 people in Seattlesand $2 million in revenue to a compan y with a staff of 700, nine global offices and $185 million in revenue. CONTRIBUTE D TO COMPANY GROWTH: Through our expanded gateway office we have been able to increase our internationalkrevenues considerably, which has been a significant factorr in our ability to weather the current economic I helped develop our merger and acquisition which led to the acquisition of a desigm firm with offices in Dallas and Mexico City. I have overseenb the transition of their accounting systemdto Callison’s, as well as set up system in our international offices.
HELPING OVERCOMr SIGNIFICANT FINANCIAL HURDLES: The years of 2007 and 2008 were goodfor us, so therr were not any significant hurdles. However, in a rapidl expanding company, it is imperative to keep I have implemented new financial systema and reporting to better monitorour growth, added finance staff with stronger technicakl background to support that growth and have decentralized our accountin staff to ensure more oversight in all of our businesa units. I also have worked closely with management and our IT departmenf to develop or improve reports and more rapidlu measure and react tobusiness trends.
With more of our work comint from international clientsand projects, I also have workef closely with our softwared provider to develop foreign currency reportin within our system. PROVEN LEADERSHIP ABILITY: I was on the searchn committee tofind Callison’s new chief operating officer, who I am workinyg with to refine and restructurre internal company reporting. I also serv e on the newly developed operations group to provide guidance and recommendations to the board of I developed a formalized merger and acquisition strategy forfuture transactions, and I serve on the advisor committee for the profit sharing/401(k) CIVIC CONTRIBUTIONS: I am an active supportet of the .
I am also a former boare member and treasurerfor , a women’ds shelter and support program; a formerf board member and chairwoman of the boar for Volunteers of America; and I have more than 20 yearsz of involvement with the American Institute of Large Firm Roundtable. THING THAT DIRECTLYY CONTRADICTS TRADITIONAL IMAGE OFFINANCIAk WIZARD: My degree is in communications from the UW. I did an internshiop at KING TV mysenior year. I nevetr worked in public accounting. MY David Lindsey. He was my boss at Callison the firsr 12 years Iwas here, and is the former president and CEO. He gave me a shot when my immediatee supervisor at the time leftthe company.
IF I HAD TO CHOOS E ANOTHER CAREER, I WOULD BE: Seriously? I thought about being an attorney when I wasin school. If someonwe would have wanted to hire me as aTV I’d have worked in communications. Fantasy jobs? I’dr be a photographer for National Geographicv or a writer ofmystery novels. And my favorit idea so far, if income was guaranteed, is rentinb snowmobiles in theBahamas — little work, deceny pay, great weather. MY FAVORITE ACTIVITIEdS OUTSIDE OFWORK ARE: Photography, walking my dog, makin g cookies with the grandkids, watching the waves roll in at the IN MY CAREER, I AM MOST PROUDf OF : Passing the CPA exam on the first try.
IN I EXPECT OUR COMPANY’S BIGGEST CHALLENGE WILL BE: Continuing to build superiorf staff and infrastructure while the economy is in such dire and making the best possible choices about how to weather the economicd climate while maintainingstaff morale.