CFO Leadership Conference: East

Andrea is a Managing Director in New York with expertise in strategic finance, financial planning and analysis, and reporting. Andrea advises companies across industries to optimize their business performance through strategic planning, finance transformation and process efficiency.

She has more than 21 years of industry experience in various finance and accounting roles including divisional strategic finance, FP&A, financial reporting, internal audit and technical accounting. Andrea has worked with a variety of organizations to enhance their business through finance and operational effectiveness and organizational transformation.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/andreavardaro/

[email protected]

Andrea is a Managing Director in New York with expertise in strategic finance, financial planning and analysis, and reporting. Andrea advises companies across industries to optimize their business performance through strategic planning, finance transformation and process efficiency.

She has more than 21 years of industry experience in various finance and accounting roles including divisional strategic finance, FP&A, financial reporting, internal audit and technical accounting. Andrea has worked with a variety of organizations to enhance their business through finance and operational effectiveness and organizational transformation.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/andreavardaro/

[email protected]

He teaches a number of courses in the graduate programs at MIT Sloan. He created and teaches Creative Industries: Media, Entertainment, and the Arts; Social Media Management; and Sports Strategy and Analytics. He also teaches Communication for Leaders and co-teaches the Sloan Fellows Seminar on Leadership. In 2020, he received MIT’s Teaching with Digital Technology award. In 2022, he received the Jamieson Prize for Excellence in Teaching, MIT Sloan’s most prestigious teaching award.

Ben also teaches in the MIT Sloan Executive Education program. He is the Faculty Director of the Global Executive Academy, a two-week program focused on leadership that convenes executives from around the world. In addition, he developed and teaches the open enrollment program Data-Driven Teams: The Art and Science of Winning. He also teaches in two other open enrollment programs: Communication and Persuasion in the Digital Age and Maximizing Your Personal Productivity.

He is the author or coauthor of three books, Social Media Management: Persuasion in Networked Culture (Oxford University Press, 2016), The Sports Strategist: Developing Leaders for a High Performance Industry (Oxford University Press, 2015), and The Elusive Fan: Reinventing Sports in a Crowded Marketplace (McGraw-Hill, 2006). He has also coauthored MIT Sloan case studies on Formula 1 and the National Women’s Soccer League.

Prior to MIT Ben served as the Director of Social Media and Marketing at ESPN.

He holds a BS and MA in communication studies and a PhD in media, technology, and society, all from Northwestern University.

He teaches a number of courses in the graduate programs at MIT Sloan. He created and teaches Creative Industries: Media, Entertainment, and the Arts; Social Media Management; and Sports Strategy and Analytics. He also teaches Communication for Leaders and co-teaches the Sloan Fellows Seminar on Leadership. In 2020, he received MIT’s Teaching with Digital Technology award. In 2022, he received the Jamieson Prize for Excellence in Teaching, MIT Sloan’s most prestigious teaching award.

Ben also teaches in the MIT Sloan Executive Education program. He is the Faculty Director of the Global Executive Academy, a two-week program focused on leadership that convenes executives from around the world. In addition, he developed and teaches the open enrollment program Data-Driven Teams: The Art and Science of Winning. He also teaches in two other open enrollment programs: Communication and Persuasion in the Digital Age and Maximizing Your Personal Productivity.

He is the author or coauthor of three books, Social Media Management: Persuasion in Networked Culture (Oxford University Press, 2016), The Sports Strategist: Developing Leaders for a High Performance Industry (Oxford University Press, 2015), and The Elusive Fan: Reinventing Sports in a Crowded Marketplace (McGraw-Hill, 2006). He has also coauthored MIT Sloan case studies on Formula 1 and the National Women’s Soccer League.

Prior to MIT Ben served as the Director of Social Media and Marketing at ESPN.

He holds a BS and MA in communication studies and a PhD in media, technology, and society, all from Northwestern University.

Bill is the Chief Financial Officer for USA Hauling & Recycling, one of the largest independently owned and operated waste and recycling management companies in New England.  He oversees all aspects of the Finance & Accounting organization including its risk management practices.  The Company has made industry-leading investments in safety and quality coupled with strategic management of its P&C and medical insurance programs.

Prior to joining USA, Bill served as CFO of the Engineered Wire & Cable sector of Marmon Holdings, Inc. in Chicago, IL, a Berkshire Hathaway company.  Bill obtained his MS from the University of Connecticut and BS in accounting and economics from Westfield State University.  He resides in East Longmeadow, MA with his wife Christel and their four children.   

Erin L. Scott, PhD draws upon her nearly two decades of academic and practical experience to partner with groundbreaking innovators to successfully navigate the entrepreneurial journey from initial idea to commercialization. Her research focuses on Strategy for Startups, has been published in leading journals such as Harvard Business Review and Management Science, and will be released in a forthcoming book published by Norton.

At the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dr. Scott mentors early-stage entrepreneurs and teaches the award-winning Entrepreneurial Strategy course (MBA and EMBA) and the popular Entrepreneurial Founding & Teams course (MBA).

Prior to MIT Sloan, Scott was an Assistant Professor at the National University of Singapore Business School. She completed a postdoctoral fellowship in the National Bureau of Economic Research’s Innovation Policy and the Economy Group. A recipient of the Kauffman Dissertation Fellowship, she earned her PhD in strategy from Washington University in St. Louis in 2013. Scott also holds an MBA-MS and BE in biomedical engineering from Washington University in St. Louis and Vanderbilt University, respectively. She previously evaluated and consulted for early-stage ventures in the medical device and biotechnology sectors.

Erin L. Scott, PhD draws upon her nearly two decades of academic and practical experience to partner with groundbreaking innovators to successfully navigate the entrepreneurial journey from initial idea to commercialization. Her research focuses on Strategy for Startups, has been published in leading journals such as Harvard Business Review and Management Science, and will be released in a forthcoming book published by Norton.

At the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dr. Scott mentors early-stage entrepreneurs and teaches the award-winning Entrepreneurial Strategy course (MBA and EMBA) and the popular Entrepreneurial Founding & Teams course (MBA).

Prior to MIT Sloan, Scott was an Assistant Professor at the National University of Singapore Business School. She completed a postdoctoral fellowship in the National Bureau of Economic Research’s Innovation Policy and the Economy Group. A recipient of the Kauffman Dissertation Fellowship, she earned her PhD in strategy from Washington University in St. Louis in 2013. Scott also holds an MBA-MS and BE in biomedical engineering from Washington University in St. Louis and Vanderbilt University, respectively. She previously evaluated and consulted for early-stage ventures in the medical device and biotechnology sectors.

Having scaled companies from product-market fit through IPO and raising $2.3 billion in capital markets along the way, Jason’s 19 years of deep experience have enabled him to successfully manage high-growth companies under the toughest conditions.

During his first five years in the field, he served as the European Finance Executive at Cimpress as an expat living in Spain, starting and scaling their international business to over $500M in revenue. Upon returning to the United States, Jason joined DraftKings, and over the next five years, head of finance and scaled the young company through challenging times and ultimately through their IPO. Following this success, he joined DataRobot as SVP of Finance, responsible for strategic and operational management of all aspects of finance, business development, strategic partnerships, and corporate development.

Now, Jason brings his wealth of experience to a rapidly-scaling Vendr as they fix how companies buy and sell software.

Jason graduated from Bentley University and resides in Dover, MA with his family.

Having scaled companies from product-market fit through IPO and raising $2.3 billion in capital markets along the way, Jason’s 19 years of deep experience have enabled him to successfully manage high-growth companies under the toughest conditions.

During his first five years in the field, he served as the European Finance Executive at Cimpress as an expat living in Spain, starting and scaling their international business to over $500M in revenue. Upon returning to the United States, Jason joined DraftKings, and over the next five years, head of finance and scaled the young company through challenging times and ultimately through their IPO. Following this success, he joined DataRobot as SVP of Finance, responsible for strategic and operational management of all aspects of finance, business development, strategic partnerships, and corporate development.

Now, Jason brings his wealth of experience to a rapidly-scaling Vendr as they fix how companies buy and sell software.

Jason graduated from Bentley University and resides in Dover, MA with his family.

Jim Dinneen is a Managing Vice President of Robert Half’s Managed Business Solutions. In Jim’s role, he works with clients to identify and vet their enterprise initiatives and provide an innovative and scalable solution that leverages Robert Half’s specialized staffing capabilities and Protiviti’s project-based consulting services. Since starting his Robert Half career in Manchester, N.H., Jim has held numerous leadership positions, most recently serving as Executive Director of Robert Half’s Salaried Professional Service (SPS), now known as Full-Time Engagement Professionals. Under his leadership, Jim led the practice to significant growth and contributed to the launch and expansion of multiple lines of business. He graduated from Elmira College with a bachelor’s degree in sports marketing.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jim-dinneen-5b81252/

[email protected]

Jim Dinneen is a Managing Vice President of Robert Half’s Managed Business Solutions. In Jim’s role, he works with clients to identify and vet their enterprise initiatives and provide an innovative and scalable solution that leverages Robert Half’s specialized staffing capabilities and Protiviti’s project-based consulting services. Since starting his Robert Half career in Manchester, N.H., Jim has held numerous leadership positions, most recently serving as Executive Director of Robert Half’s Salaried Professional Service (SPS), now known as Full-Time Engagement Professionals. Under his leadership, Jim led the practice to significant growth and contributed to the launch and expansion of multiple lines of business. He graduated from Elmira College with a bachelor’s degree in sports marketing.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jim-dinneen-5b81252/

[email protected]

As an Actor, Writer, Director, Educator, and Professional Presenter, Kevin uses his creative background to inspire and empower others to create and deliver unique, engaging, and compelling presentations. He is passionate about Storytelling and the power of communicating to audiences throughout his career. 

Kevin joined Oracle in April of 2015 after having worked with Oracle as a supplier for 10 years. Prior to joining Oracle, Kevin founded imPROvise which offered workshops teaching Presentation and Communication Skills by using acting and improv techniques. Kevin is currently the program owner for communication skills for Oracle + NetSuite. He lives in Atlanta, GA and is a self-proclaimed movie and music geek and is a true fan of the Atlanta Falcons and Braves as well as the FSU Seminoles.

As an Actor, Writer, Director, Educator, and Professional Presenter, Kevin uses his creative background to inspire and empower others to create and deliver unique, engaging, and compelling presentations. He is passionate about Storytelling and the power of communicating to audiences throughout his career. 

Kevin joined Oracle in April of 2015 after having worked with Oracle as a supplier for 10 years. Prior to joining Oracle, Kevin founded imPROvise which offered workshops teaching Presentation and Communication Skills by using acting and improv techniques. Kevin is currently the program owner for communication skills for Oracle + NetSuite. He lives in Atlanta, GA and is a self-proclaimed movie and music geek and is a true fan of the Atlanta Falcons and Braves as well as the FSU Seminoles.

Michael joined the Wasabi team after spending 25+ years in various finance, operations, technology and business development roles primarily for venture-backed technology and clean tech companies. His most recent role was at iZotope Inc. where he served as the CFO. Prior to that he managed the IPO for MotherNature.com and acquisitions for LightChip and Revivio. Michael co-founded RPM Communications, where he led the launch of a 100,000 user mobile social network. A chartered financial analyst, Michael is on the Steering Committee of The CFO Leadership Council and a frequent speaker and organizer of panels for CFOs. He was honored as a 2018 BBJ CFO of the Year.

As an adjunct lecturer at Babson College, Michael teaches corporate finance to both graduate and undergraduate students. Michael holds an MBA from Cornell University and a BS from Babson College (finance and investments), and he previously studied computer science and economics at Brandeis University.

Michael joined the Wasabi team after spending 25+ years in various finance, operations, technology and business development roles primarily for venture-backed technology and clean tech companies. His most recent role was at iZotope Inc. where he served as the CFO. Prior to that he managed the IPO for MotherNature.com and acquisitions for LightChip and Revivio. Michael co-founded RPM Communications, where he led the launch of a 100,000 user mobile social network. A chartered financial analyst, Michael is on the Steering Committee of The CFO Leadership Council and a frequent speaker and organizer of panels for CFOs. He was honored as a 2018 BBJ CFO of the Year.

As an adjunct lecturer at Babson College, Michael teaches corporate finance to both graduate and undergraduate students. Michael holds an MBA from Cornell University and a BS from Babson College (finance and investments), and he previously studied computer science and economics at Brandeis University.

Michael B. Tannenbaum is the Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer at Brex, where he aims to build a culture of financial discipline while empowering global customers to reach their full financial potential. Previously, Michael served as the VP of Mortgage and Chief Revenue Officer at SoFi where he initially joined the company as VP of finance in 2014. With a passion for finance, Michael previously worked as a private equity associate at Hellman & Friedman as well as an investment banking analyst at JP Morgan Chase. Michael received his degree in economics at Columbia University.

Milosh Nedic currently serves as the Senior Vice President of Finance & Strategy at the sales tax compliance & automation software company Avalara where he leads the Financial Planning & Analysis and Global Analytics & Insights functions. During his tenure at Avalara, Milosh has led the transformation & scaling of the FP&A function and alignment of the Insights & Analytics teams to key metrics & measures of long-term success and performance.  Prior to joining Avalara, Milosh lead FP&A and sales finance teams at Alteryx, an Analytics Process Automation software provider, and Kofax, a business process automation software company, and was head of finance for a division of Panasonic Avionics. Milosh has a total of 15+ years of finance, accounting and analytics experience focusing in the high growth software industry. 

Melissa is a strategic finance and operations executive, with broad experience at high growth technology and services companies.  Currently, she is CFO at Login VSI, a leading software provider of 360° proactive visibility for digital workspaces. In recent CFO roles at Carrot Fertility and Wellframe, she played a critical role in driving significant revenue and team growth.  At Wellframe, she led the company through multiple fundraising rounds and an acquisition. In 2020, she was honored as one of the CFO of the Year Award winners by the Boston Business Journal.  Prior, Melissa held financial leadership roles at technology and healthcare companies including Iora Health, ObserveIT, Riverbed Technology, and Intel Corporation. She’s currently pursuing her Executive MBA at the MIT Sloan School of Management, with a focus on business analytics and healthcare.

Melissa is a strategic finance and operations executive, with broad experience at high growth technology and services companies.  Currently, she is CFO at Login VSI, a leading software provider of 360° proactive visibility for digital workspaces. In recent CFO roles at Carrot Fertility and Wellframe, she played a critical role in driving significant revenue and team growth.  At Wellframe, she led the company through multiple fundraising rounds and an acquisition. In 2020, she was honored as one of the CFO of the Year Award winners by the Boston Business Journal.  Prior, Melissa held financial leadership roles at technology and healthcare companies including Iora Health, ObserveIT, Riverbed Technology, and Intel Corporation. She’s currently pursuing her Executive MBA at the MIT Sloan School of Management, with a focus on business analytics and healthcare.

Tom Hunt, CTP, is the Director of Treasury Services and Payments at the Association for Financial Professionals. He leads treasury and payment content for AFP. Hunt has more than 15 years of direct treasury experience working across different industries, including various roles at Medtronic, Fairview Health Systems, and, most recently, at 3M Company. At 3M, he oversaw the global banking strategy, redesigned and implemented a new domestic cash management structure, and led acquisition activities for the treasury department. He holds an MBA in finance from the Opus College of Business at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, MN.

Rebeccah is the National Director of Business Development for Imagine360. With 25+ years in the insurance industry, Rebeccah has deep expertise in the self-funded and fully insured markets both nationally and internationally. As an insurance broker, she successfully guided companies on their employee benefit programs and designed innovative and customized solutions for clients. Rebeccah is passionate about leading brokers and employers to take better control of their health plans, the ability to provide a higher level of benefits, and transparency in healthcare costs. Rebeccah attended The University of Akron for Business. She currently resides in Solon, Ohio with her husband and two children.

Steve is the Chairman and co-founder of Imagine360. In 2003, Mr. Kelly pioneered the concept of reference-based pricing to address the challenges of employers who were burdened with skyrocketing healthcare costs. He has dedicated his career to solving those complex challenges and is a recognized expert in the insurance, employee benefits and risk management industries. He has been featured in multiple local and national media outlets, including NPR, The New York Times, Newsweek, Fox Business and Money magazine.

Steve is the Chairman and co-founder of Imagine360. In 2003, Mr. Kelly pioneered the concept of reference-based pricing to address the challenges of employers who were burdened with skyrocketing healthcare costs. He has dedicated his career to solving those complex challenges and is a recognized expert in the insurance, employee benefits and risk management industries. He has been featured in multiple local and national media outlets, including NPR, The New York Times, Newsweek, Fox Business and Money magazine.

Steve Isom is the Chief Financial Officer at Bloomerang, a high-growth SaaS company that helps nonprofit organizations reach, engage and retain donors. Responsible for advancing the company’s long-term financial management, strategic operations, and employee experience, Steve leads the finance, IT and business operations, and people teams. As a next-level strategic growth leader, he is focused on fostering deeper connections with employees and the broader nonprofit sector. Prior to Bloomerang, Steve was the VP of Finance at Flywheel, a WordPress hosting and management platform, where he was responsible for finance, accounting, and long-term strategic planning. He led the sale of Flywheel to WP Engine in June 2019. Post acquisition, he was promoted to VP of Finance at WP Engine. Steve served as the Sr. Director of Finance & Strategy at Cybereason, where he led the $120M Series D capital raise process. Before the start-up world, Steve was an investor at North Bridge Growth Equity and a technology investment banker at Jefferies.