PROGRAM DESCRIPTION
Every CFO has a story they will never forget: a deal that nearly fell apart, a crisis that tested their leadership, a difficult board conversation, a costly mistake, or a decision that changed the trajectory of the business.
Join us for an interactive discussion where experienced finance leaders share the real-world challenges they’ve faced, the lessons they learned, and what they would do differently today. This candid, peer-to-peer conversation goes beyond theory to explore the decisions, missteps, and leadership moments that define a CFO’s career.
Come prepared to listen, ask questions, and learn from the experiences of fellow finance executives in a confidential, collaborative setting.
Virtual Chapter Programs are members-only. You must be logged in to register or attend.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- Learn practical lessons from real CFO experiences spanning growth, crisis management, leadership, M&A, and organizational change.
- Gain insight into how experienced finance leaders approach difficult decisions when there isn’t a clear “right” answer.
- Hear what successful CFOs wish they had known earlier in their careers and how those lessons continue to shape their leadership.
- Participate in an open discussion with peers, ask questions, and walk away with ideas you can apply to your own organization.
SPEAKERS
Samantha Muñoz | Chief Financial Officer | Hill Country Telephone Cooperative (HCTC)
Samantha Muñoz is Chief Financial Officer of Hill Country Telephone Cooperative (HCTC), a member-owned rural broadband provider serving 24 service areas across the Texas Hill Country. She joined HCTC in 2010 after more than eight years in public accounting and rose from staff accountant to CFO. She leads finance, treasury, capital allocation, and regulatory strategy in an industry where revenue is tied to federal and state cost-recovery programs, and a policy change can rewrite the forecast. Her work has included building the capital case for HCTC’s fixed wireless buildout, replacing manual reporting with dashboard-driven analytics, and building governance processes where none existed. Across 24+ years in audit and operating finance, she has paired an auditor’s skepticism with an operator’s bias toward action. She is a Summa Cum Laude accounting graduate of Schreiner University and a Leadership Kerr County alumna, and she has spent two decades in fiduciary and board roles with Kerr County nonprofits.
Sara Smith | Chief Financial Officer | ALPS Insurance
After a marketing/management degree from the University of Montana, Sara moved to Denver with Target in their leadership development program. While working retail, she achieved her MBA from University of Colorado. Sara spent a short stint at a coalbed methane exploration company in Denver before moving back to Missoula. She worked at MT Rail Link before finding ALPS in 2003. Sara became the controller in 2007 and CFO in 2008. In addition to her employment at ALPS, she serves as the treasurer for the Women of Winter, a non-profit seeking diversity in snow sports. She is a Level 3 certified ski instructor with PSIA and maintains her certification and relationships in that space as a potential retirement gig!
EVENT POLICIES AND RESOURCES
Please visit our Events Policies and Resources page for information about chapter leadership, support, CPE, attendance, cancelations and more.