Finance and Investing is pleased to announce The Top 25 CFOs of D.C. for 2023. While its primary reputation is as the United States Capitol, Washington D.C. is driven by much more than just the activity of the federal government. The more than 100 academic institutions that operate programs and degrees in the D.C. metropolitan area have made the region a population with one of the highest percentages of U.S. college graduates, and an attractive location for businesses looking to attract and train talent. This is evidenced by the diversity of the organizations on our list, major players in industries ranging from hospitality to consumer markets to agriculture, consulting, high-tech, healthcare, law, finance, nonprofits, and beyond. Washington D.C.’s media presence is vital to keeping the country’s citizens informed on the topics that are discussed in the White House and U.S. Congress, with publications like The Washington Post and The Atlantic, as well as the Corporation for Public Broadcasting–which we’ve also highlighted here.
Among this year’s awardees are Steve Gibson, Chief Financial Officer at The Washington Post, who was selected for the role in 2014 by publisher and CEO Fred Ryan for his “track record of success and innovation in financial management and growth strategy”; Malena Brookshire, CFO of Americorps, who helps implement strategic solutions to improve operations for the government agency that is working to address issues concerning poverty, the environment, education; and Wilson Wang, SVP, CFO and Treasurer at MITRE, who is a strategic adviser and thought leader for the organization, advising on building new capabilities and business models to better empower the company to engage with private industry, alongside government, in addressing public challenges.
Please join us in celebrating the accomplishments of The Top 25 CFOs of D.C. for 2023.
1. Lucas Castillo
CFO, USDA Farm Production and Conservation
Lucas Castillo began his professional career 10 years ago, in 2013. Today, he is the CFO of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Production and Conservation (FPAC). FPAC is the Department’s focal point for the Nation’s farmers, ranchers, and other stewards of private agricultural lands and non-industrial private forest lands. FPAC agencies implement programs designed to mitigate the significant risks of farming through crop insurance, conservation programs, farm safety net programs, lending, and disaster programs.
Castillo first got his start in 2013 in the department of defense at DISA. From there, he went on to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, before eventually rising to Director at the United States Department of Commerce, his most recent position prior to joining USDA Farm Production and Conservation. Castillo graduated from Trident University International with an undergraduate degree in business administration.
2. Matt McGrew
EVP and CFO, Danaher
Matt McGrew was appointed as Danaher's EVP & CFO in January of 2019. Prior to that, he served as Group CFO for several of Danaher's platforms, including Diagnostics, Dental, Life Sciences, and PID. McGrew joined Danaher – a medical-equipment manufacturer – in April of 2004 and has held positions of increasing responsibility within Internal Audit and M&A, and served as Vice President of Investor Relations. Prior to joining Danaher, McGrew was a Director in the Transactions Services Group at KPMG in Chicago, where he worked for a decade, starting in 1994 and leaving for Danaher in 2004. McGrew has been working for Danaher for two decades. He holds a bachelor of science degree in accounting from DePaul University.
3. Matthew Calderone
EVP and CFO, Booz Allen Hamilton
Matt Calderone is Booz Allen Hamilton’s CFO. He is responsible for the firm’s financial statements, capital structure, and related financial operations, as well as M&A and related transactions.
Calderone has held a variety of leadership roles in finance and strategy at Booz Allen over the last decade. Before becoming its CFO, Calderone was the firm’s Chief Strategy Officer, during which time he led M&A activity, long-term financial strategy, and the development and rollout of VoLT, Booz Allen’s growth strategy. In 2014 Calderone built Booz Allen’s corporate development team, which under his leadership executed more than $1.4 billion in M&A transactions and numerous equity investments, divestitures, and joint ventures. From 2016 to 2020, he also led the firm’s strategic finance and forecasting, planning, and analysis (FP&A) functions where he was responsible for building the current finance team, developing and executing Booz Allen’s financial strategy, managing operating performance, and overseeing external target-setting and communication. He was also instrumental in designing and executing Booz Allen’s Vision 2020 growth strategy, including leading the firm’s restructuring in 2013.
Previously Calderone led a large team in the security market that spanned clients across the Intelligence Community. He also worked for Booz Allen’s global commercial business, where he focused on large-scale transformation, and for the Boston Consulting Group.
Calderone holds a BA in economics from the University of Maryland and an MBA from the Yale School of Management.
4. Carmel Darcy
CFO, American Red Cross
Carmel Darcy is the CFO of American Red Cross, where she provides strategic management and oversight of its financial activities. She focuses on multi-year revenue growth, cost management, and capital investments with the objective of increased mission delivery. Darcy manages the organization’s Shared Services Center, and procurement activities. She leads a global team of approximately 350 staff and 100 volunteers. Darcy builds financial solutions to scale for large domestic and international disaster response and recovery operations, as well as financial control environments with new technologies to provide mission service delivery for all Red Cross programs. She has consolidated over 500 accounting systems into a single consolidated accounting system. Darcy has more than 20 years of experience. She is a licensed CPA in the state of Virginia, Executive Champion of the American Red Cross Latino Resource Group, member of the Latino Executive Steering Committee, and member of the Board of Directors for the National Hispanic Corporate Council.
Darcy holds a degree from George Mason University’s School of Business.
5. Reginald Mitchell
CFO, U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)
Reginald W. Mitchell is the CFO for the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), responsible for the oversight of the accounting and financial reporting functions of the agency. This includes the oversight and development of USAID worldwide financial management policies, programs, and systems in support of the agency’s development activities. Mitchell provides financial management leadership by establishing a clear set of policies and procedures to ensure the financial integrity of the agency’s programs. In carrying out his fiduciary duties as CFO, Mr. Mitchell directs the daily operations of the CFO organization and provides technical financial leadership for USAID’s worldwide controller network and for Washington operating units in executing the agency’s approximately 9,000 FTE and $25 billion dollar financial portfolio.
Prior to joining USAID, Mitchell served 26 years with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) during which time he held a number of senior executive financial positions to include the Controller responsible for the agency’s fiscal policies, proprietary accounting activities, and the development and maintenance of the agency’s core and mixed financial systems. He also served as the Budget Director responsible for the agency’s budgetary accounting activities, including the formulation and execution of the agency’s program and operating expense budgets. Mitchell served in a variety of other senior executive service positions throughout his tenure with the NRC.
Prior to joining the NRC, Mitchell served in the U.S. Navy on nuclear submarines. Mitchell received his BS degree in Business Management from National-Louis University and his Master of Public Administration from American University. He is a long-standing member of the Association of Government Accountants and Senior Executive Association.
6. Wilson Wang
SVP, CFO and Treasurer, MITRE
Wilson Wang is Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer, and Treasurer at MITRE. In that role, he leads MITRE’s business and operations to deliver on the mission to solve problems for a safer world. He is a strategic adviser and thought leader for MITRE on building new capabilities and business models to better empower the company to engage with private industry, alongside government, in addressing public challenges.
His responsibilities include leading MITRE’s accounting; internal/external audit; pricing; financial planning and analysis; business partners; program control; treasury and investments; financial business systems; corporate development; and strategic enterprise analytics functions. In addition to these responsibilities, Wang has also helped catalyze and drive enterprise business transformation initiatives.
Prior to becoming CFO, Wang was head of finance and assistant treasurer and played a key role in centralizing MITRE’s finance functions. Recognizing the value of bringing the right data to business decisions, he also established MITRE’s corporate enterprise analytics capability, building a new team dedicated to providing advanced analytics and enhanced decision support for business leaders on a range of emerging, strategic, and operational priorities.
Before joining MITRE, Wang managed a global financial planning and analysis team for a $7 billion business unit at Computer Sciences Corporation (CSC). During that time, he supported several acquisition due-diligence and post-integration activities for CSC. Previous to CSC, Wang also worked at Lockheed Martin and was a consultant at BearingPoint.
Outside of MITRE, Wang serves on the Board of Governors for University of Maryland Alumni Association. He also serves on the Corporate Advisory Council for Children’s National Hospital.
Wang received his MBA from MIT Sloan School of Management and BS in general business from University of Maryland’s Smith School of Business.
7. Andrew Henley
Chief Financial Officer, Georgetown University in Qatar
Andrew Henley began his professional career 26 years ago. Today, he is the Chief Financial Officer of Georgetown University in Qatar, one of the world’s leading academic and research institutions, offering a unique educational experience that prepares the next generation of global citizens to lead and make a difference in the world. They are a vibrant community of exceptional students, faculty, alumni, and professionals dedicated to real-world application of our research, scholarship, faith, and service. Established in 1789, Georgetown is the nation’s oldest Catholic and Jesuit university.
Henley first got his start in 1997 as a manager at Packaging Stores of Portland. From there, he went on to Georgetown University’s Walsh School of Foreign Services, before eventually rising to the chief administrative officer at Georgetown University Medical Center, his most recent position prior to joining Georgetown University in Qatar.
Henley graduated from Georgetown University McDonough School of Business with an MBA and from Portland State University with an undergraduate degree in history.
8. Malena Brookshire
Chief Financial Officer, AmeriCorps
Malen Brookshire is the CFO of Americorps. Brookshire has a proven reputation for implementing strategic solutions that improve operations and mission delivery. She is a thought leader who is skilled at building and motivating diverse, cross-functional teams that achieve results while focusing on the overall customer experience. Brookshire’s career reflects years of leadership and strategic enterprise direction for federal agencies and nonprofit organizations. Her expertise spans development and implementation of strategic plans and performance metrics used to inform resource decisions and promote continuous improvement; enterprise data analysis to assess risk and progress toward mission results, and organization-level budgeting and financial management. She has an extensive network of colleagues throughout the federal government and is widely regarded as an effective communicator and results-oriented collaborator.
Notable speaking engagements include the Partnership for Public Service, Federal News Network, the Association of Federal Enterprise Risk Management, Excellence in Government Conference, the Open Government Innovations Conference, the Performance Institute’s Insights and Ideas to Transform the Federal Workforce, the Virginia Society of Public Accountants Federal Conference, and the George Washington University. Proud Board Chair for Arts On The Horizon, President of the Association of Government Accountants D.C. Chapter, and inaugural member of the AGA Council for the Advancement of Women.
Brookshire earned a master’s degree in public administration from the George Washington University and a bachelor’s of science degrees in math/statistics and economics from the University of Wisconsin, Madison.
9. Steve Gibson
Chief Financial Officer, The Washington Post
Steve Gibson is The Washington Post’s Vice President of Finance & Administration and its Chief Financial Officer. Gibson brings with him a wealth of experience in finance, accounting, operations, and media, having spent 16 years as CFO of Allbritton Communications Company. In that role, he oversaw financial operations of a group of seven ABC network-affiliated television stations, NewsChannel 8, and Politico. Before joining Allbritton Communications, Gibson was controller of Plexsys International, a provider of wireless telecommunications equipment and services, for three years, after having served in a variety of roles with Price Waterhouse for seven years. Gibson has a CPA, and graduated with distinction with a degree in accounting from the University of Virginia.
Gibson’s background in private industry and public accounting positions and his knowledge of strategic business planning and analysis, executive management, financial reporting, controls, and merger and acquisition transactions, serve The Post well. They feel they are very fortunate to have someone with Gibson’s skill and experience leading The Post in this vital role.
10. Jeffrey Connor
Chief Financial Officer, McGuireWoods
Jeffrey Connor is the Chief Financial Officer of McGuireWoods, one of the world’s leading law firms. He has more than 25 years of experience in the legal industry. Prior to joining McGuireWoods in 2015, Jeff held senior management positions at two AmLaw 100 firms, an AmLaw 25 firm and a boutique firm ranked among the top 20 most profitable AmLaw firms. In addition to his responsibility for the finance, pricing, accounting, and tax functions, Jeff focuses on revenue growth and improving profitability. He partners with lawyers to develop an understanding of the business fundamentals of client relationships and to execute strategies for delivering value through efficient client service. Jeff also works with the professional staff to foster collaboration and cross-functional accountability on firm wide initiatives.
Connor attended the Boston College Carroll School of Management. He started his career in 1993, in finance and administration at Mintz Levin.
11. Jim Barbee
Chief Financial Officer, Special Olympics
As the CFO of the Special Olympics, Jim Barbee is responsible for all finance and accounting functions and leads a dedicated, professional team in the areas of financial planning and analysis, grants management, financial reporting, government and regulatory compliance, and business decision support. Barbee joined Special Olympics in 2018 as Vice President of Finance & Controller and assumed the CFO role in April of 2021.
Barbee brings 35 years of progressive experience to the Special Olympics, having led teams in both corporate and nonprofit sectors. After four foundational years in public accounting, Barbee led the finance teams for two privately held companies in North Carolina. Being drawn to do work that had a greater purpose, Barbee made a move that led him into the nonprofit sector, where he served as Director of Accounting for an international anti-slavery organization. Prior to that, Barbee was Director of Financial Operations for a large international relief and development NGO for nine years. He also served for 15 months as the NGO’s Country Director after a natural disaster in the Philippines. There Barbee gained a much deeper understanding of the many challenges facing vulnerable people who live in challenging places.
Barbee received his bachelor of science in business administration with a concentration in accounting from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and is a licensed Certified Public Accountant. He and his wife, Laura, live in Northern Virginia and have four grown children, two sons-in-law, and four grandchildren. In his free time, Barbee enjoys hiking, playing golf, and spending time with family and friends. He also volunteers with an organization he co-founded, serving as senior advisor to Side by Side Alliance, Inc., a small nonprofit doing poverty alleviation work in some of the most vulnerable areas in the Philippines.
12. Michael Kirshbaum
Chief Financial Officer, EAB
Michael Kirshbaum serves as the Chief Financial Officer of EAB, formerly the Education Advisory Board, a consulting firm specializing in education institutions, headquartered in Washington, D.C. He joined EAB’s predecessor company, The Advisory Board Company, in 1998 and became the Chief Financial Officer in February 2006 and Treasurer in March 2007.
Prior to his current role, Kirshbaum held a variety of positions across the finance group, including serving as Senior Director of Finance, where he was responsible for most finance operations, including the overall financial strategy and budgeting process, as well as several other accounting functions. Kirshbaum has a BS in economics from Duke University.
13. Andrew Ivanovich
Chief Financial Officer, The Knot Worldwide
Andy Ivanovich serves as Chief Financial Officer at The Knot Worldwide, responsible for planning and accelerating the company’s global growth. In this role, he oversees the company’s accounting, finance, and corporate strategy functions.
Ivanovich was formerly an investor at Spectrum Equity, where he worked with growth-stage software and internet companies, including WeddingWire. Prior to Spectrum, Andy was a senior consultant at Oliver Wyman Financial Services, advising clients across North America and Europe on transformational strategic initiatives. He previously spent time as an investor at Susquehanna Growth Equity and as a developer at a cellphone software startup.
Ivanovich graduated magna cum laude from Cornell University with a BS in operations research and engineering. He is based out of The Knot Worldwide’s headquarters in Chevy Chase, MD and resides in the Washington, D.C. area.
14. Stacy McMahan
Chief Financial Officer, International Justice Mission
Stacy McMahan serves as Chief Financial Officer at International Justice Mission. She has 30 years of experience in serving public companies, serving as CFO at nVent Electric, Spectranetics (acquired by Royal Philips), and MSA Safety. Previously, she served in financial leadership roles at Thermo Fisher Scientific, Johnson & Johnson, and Eli Lilly and Company.
McMahan is a graduate of Oklahoma State University (BS in finance), holds an MBA from the Harvard Business School, and is a Certified Management Accountant.
15. Jesse Phillips
Chief Financial Officer, SourceScrub
In 2015, Jesse Phillips was working at a private equity firm when his friend and SouceScrub founder, Tyler Fair, called him to pitch the company’s potential. Phillips spotted the potential for the concept. Before long, Phillips’ team became a SourceScrub customer, and then Phillips himself became an adviser to the company. In 2019, he joined the executive team full-time in the role of CFO. He’s an avid reader (history and biography are favorites) and relishes traveling and hiking with his wife and their dog.
Phillips has bachelor's degrees in finance and accounting and economics from American University and AU’s Kogod School of Business.
16. Justin Ellis
Chief Financial Officer, KIPP DC
Justin Ellis joined KIPP DC in January 2015 and is the organization’s Chief Financial Officer. KIPP DC is a community of high-performing, public schools committed to excellence, equity, and justice. Equipped with a KIPP DC education, their alumni are empowered to be successful in college, careers, and life. In this role, Ellis oversees the organization’s accounting and finance team. Throughout his tenure at KIPP DC, Justin has been instrumental in developing and implementing various financial strategies and procedures.
Before joining KIPP DC, Ellis worked in financial services, accounting, and auditing at several private sector firms. Justin is a native of Pennsylvania and earned his bachelor’s degree in accounting from Elon University before becoming a certified public accountant.
17. Halina Manno
Chief Financial Officer, International Republican Institute
Halina Manno currently serves as the Chief Financial Officer, leading a team of procurement and accounting professionals in managing the program finance functions of the Institute. Since her appointment to the position, she has played a vital role in the modernization and streamlining of operational systems, assisting in the creation of a financial operations division that is responsive to needs of the Institute’s program management divisions and compliant with relevant U.S. Government and foreign regulation. As the director of a wide set of financial operations teams, Manno’s management responsibilities include field accounting, program finance, program audit, award management, and procurement and subawards. During her time at IRI, Manno has traveled domestically and internationally to conduct training with IRI staff and external partners on financial management, compliance, ethics, organization management, and accounting.
Prior to serving as the CFO, Manno served as the Director of Finance, as well as roles of Contracts Administrator and Administrative Innovation and Procurement Manager, administering IRI’s subawards and contracts worldwide, assisting in proposal development and indirect rate submissions, coordinating program audits, and liaising with auditors. Her experience prior to her time at IRI includes grant accounting at Freedom House and managing human resources, accounting, information technology, and compliance at other not-for-profits and for-profits in Washington, D.C. and her native Buffalo, NY. She holds a bachelor’s degree in international economic policy and finance from American University.
18. Barry Stern
Chief Financial Officer, BlueVoyant
Barry Stern is a finance executive with 25 years of experience in industries including cyber security, online advertising, and SaaS based solutions. Domain expertise in financial planning and analysis, financial operations, sales and business operations, due diligence, and management consulting. He has participated in two successful IPOs and multiple M&A transactions. His international experience includes expat assignment for Google in Sydney, Australia charged with opening offices across Asia-Pacific region.
Stern earned undergraduate (BBA) and graduate (MBA) degrees in finance from the University of Michigan’s Stephen M. Ross School of Business.
19. James Rochette
Chief Financial Officer, Anaqua
James Rochette joined Anaqua in 2022, after five years as CFO of OROLIA and closing of the sale of Eurazeo Private Equity majority stake to Safran. He brings more than 25 years of experience in leading financial strategies in both private equity-backed and publicly-traded companies. In addition, James has successful M&A experience both in sales and raising equity. James began his career in France and relocated to the metro Washington, D.C. area in 2017.
20. John Ring
Chief Financial Officer, TaxAnalysts
As TaxAnalysts’ CFO, John Ring directs all of the company’s financial activities, including the preparation of financial reports and forecasting of business growth. Ring worked for more than 20 years as the CFO of a major nonprofit and 15 years as a senior manager in the audit and consulting divisions of a Big Four firm. He served on the American Institute of CPAs’ Not-for-Profit Expert Panel from 2007 to 2009. He is both a certified public accountant and a chartered global management accountant.
Ring received his BS in business administration from George Mason University.
21. Daryl Ribeiro
Chief Financial Officer, Upside
Daryl Ribeiro is the Chief Financial Officer of Upside. He first joined the company in 2019. He is proud of the communities he grew up in, filled with shops owned by neighbors, and where people can gather. The rise of e-commerce showed him how online personalization can unlock proven value for both people and businesses, and the brick-and-mortar world has had a hard time keeping up. Upside’s goal is not just leveling the playing field, but rather leveling up the playing field. With Upside, people earn cash back and businesses earn proven profit, so communities grow stronger. And every transaction through Upside benefits the world at large, offsetting carbon and food waste so that their communities thrive for years to come.
Previously, Ribeiro was an operations executive-private equity at Marlin Equity Partners and before that an SVP of private equity at Cerberus Capital Management. Earlier in his career he worked with GE as an audit manager. Ribeiro earned an MBA from Columbia Business School and an undergraduate degree in electrical engineering from the University of Maryland.
22. Steven Miller
Chief Financial Officer, ASCD
Steven Miller serves as Chief Financial Officer of ASCD (the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development), which is a member association focused on curriculum and instruction in the field of K-12 education and is responsible for the company's overall finance function and activities including corporate finance; treasury management; contract management; financial strategy and planning; mergers and acquisitions; tax; audit; investor relations; investment strategy and portfolio; and operations. He provides strategic financial input and leadership on key decisions affecting the association.
Prior to joining ASCD, Miller served as a CFO and a senior financial executive in several for-profit enterprises internationally. With more than 10 years of high-level financial experience across multiple industries, Miller brings a high level of proficiency in strategic planning, organizational transformation, financial management, forecasting, budgeting, mergers and acquisitions, capital markets, portfolio management, investment analysis, and risk management.
Miller holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and a bachelor's degree in economics from the University of Virginia. Steve is a CFA Charterholder.
23. Simone Grimes
Chief Financial Officer, Acadia Insurance
Simone Grimes is the CFO of Acadia Insurance, a provider of commercial property casualty insurance to small and midsize businesses. During her time at Acadia, she has led two companies through complex capital restructuring strategies; executed growth initiatives at Progressive Insurance; advised companies on Pre-IPO and M&A strategies; and led transformative multi-year strategies for the nation’s two largest housing finance and real estate companies (Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac).
Grimes spent the first six years of her career in public accounting, helping PwC, Grant Thornton, and Walker & Company lead audit engagements for large financial service organizations.
Grimes holds an MBA from Cornell University, a Certificate in ESG Investments from Columbia University, is a CPA, a Certified Internal Auditor, and has earned a Certified Corporate Director designation from the National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD). In addition, she is active on multiple non-profit boards of directors, including audit, finance, and nomination, and governance committees.
Grimes also teaches classes nationally and internationally for the Institute of Internal Auditors, AICPA, and other organizations on a variety of corporate topics, including enterprise risk management and cybersecurity.
24. Rick Heath
CFO, Erickson Immigration Group
Rick Heath is the Chief Financial Officer of Erickson Immigration Group. Heath provides direct management and oversight of the firm’s entire finance function, including billing, accounts payable, accounts receivable, financial planning and analysis, banking, insurance, tax, payroll, and benefits.
Heath joined the firm in 2019 after 12 years in the banking and finance space, most recently as a Senior Vice President at Citi Private Bank’s Law Firm Group. He also held various roles in investment banking and debt capital markets. Heath also has entrepreneurial experience in real estate development, Kickstarter campaigns, and book publishing.
Heath graduated cum laude from Case Western Reserve University in 2006 with a BS degree in management (concentration in finance). Rick is a CFA charter holder and member of the CFA Society of Washington, D.C. Heath volunteers as a mentor and advisory council member for StreetWise Partners, an organization that pairs business professionals with mentees who are unemployed or underemployed in order to provide them with the skills, resources, and access to networks they need to secure and maintain employment.
25. Craig Albright
Chief Financial Officer, Trade Center Management Associates
Craig Albright began his professional career 29 years ago. Today, he is the Chief Financial Officer of Trade Center Management Associates (TCMA). Currently the largest structure (3.1 million square feet) in Washington, D.C., the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center (RRB/ITC) is owned by the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) and is operated by TCMA. As the first and only federal building dedicated to both government and private use, it is mandated by Congress to bring together the country’s best public and private resources to create a national forum for the advancement of trade. Designated as the official World Trade Center, Washington, D.C., the building houses a premier conference and event center, executive office space, retail and dining, and offers community entertainment and programming.
Albright first got his start in 1995 as an audit senior at Arthur Andersen. From there, he went on to Constellation Energy Group, before eventually rising to controller at Hospice and Palliative Care of Western Colorado, his most recent position prior to joining Trade Center Management Associates.
