Part 10 of 10
In honor of Black History Month, NCACPA would like to celebrate the diverse individuals who contributed to the success of the accounting profession and the association. Please join us in recognizing these trailblazers through a 10-part series of posts being published throughout February.
By D. Scott Showalter, CPA, CGMA, CGFM, Immediate Past Chair, NCACPA Board
The individuals highlighted in this series of posts represent minorities and have all made significant contributions to the accounting profession during their careers despite the many challenges they faced.
I’ll introduce everyone by asking a question that describes their respective contribution. I apologize in advance for any factual inaccuracies in this article. While researching, I ran across conflicting dates and proofs, settling on the facts that seem best supported. Either way, I don’t think it distracts from their significant accomplishments.
Are there any women CPAs who are CFOs at major corporations? Simply stated, yes, but not many. This individual began her career with Arthur Andersen after graduating from Northwestern University’s Kellogg Graduate School of Management with an MBA degree and a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of Wisconsin. She is a seasoned CFO with extensive public and private company experience, serving as executive vice president and CFO for Family Dollar Stores. Prior to joining Family Dollar Stores, she served as senior vice president and CFO for Giant Eagle and executive vice president and CFO for Scholastic Corp. Before joining Scholastic, she held several vice presidential and executive-level positions at Visteon Corp., Pfizer, and Baxter International. She currently sits on the board of directors, is chairwoman of the audit committee of Dover Corp., and is on the board and audit committee of Plexus Corp. This individual was named one of the 50 Most Powerful Women in Business by Black Enterprise magazine, one of the 40 Women of Excellence by the Pittsburgh Courier, and one of the 100 Most Influential People in Finance by Treasury & Risk Management magazine. Who is this individual? Her name is Mary A. Winston.