Finance and Investing is pleased to announce The Top 25 CFOs of Dallas for 2023. Dallas and nearby Fort Worth were initially developed as a product of the construction of major railroad lines. Today, it boasts a diverse range of industries, from education, financial services, and healthcare to entertainment, retail, and information technology, all of which contribute to its healthy economy. This year’s awardees helm the financial sectors of companies across these industries for companies such as Bergdorf Goodman, Modern Aviation, Smoothie King, FinThrive, and more.
Among this year’s awardees is David Frey, Chief Financial Officer of the Dallas Cowboys, who has been with the organization for more than two decades. Jeff Kupp, Chief Financial Officer of Sandvine, has led multiple successful exit transactions and a public offering during his 20 years as a CFO for various companies. Also awarded is Michael Haynes, the Chief Financial Officer of Heritage Auctions. He utilizes his experience in collectibles, precious metals, and specialty retail businesses to carve out a unique niche as a financial executive.
Please join us in celebrating the accomplishments of The Top 25 CFOs of Dallas for 2023.
1. Alex Kaleida
Chief Financial Officer, Wingstop
Alex Kaleida is the Chief Financial Officer of Wingstop. He joined Wingstop in March 2019 as the Vice President of Financial Planning and Analysis (FP&A), where his responsibilities grew over time to include leading and overseeing FP&A, internal audit, and investor relations.
Prior to joining Wingstop, Kaleida served in various finance and strategic leadership positions with increasing responsibility at The Wendy’s Company, where he was promoted to Senior Director, Corporate FP&A and Operations Finance. Before this, Kaleida served in various positions at H.J. Heinz Company. His responsibilities included accounting, finance leadership roles across North American consumer products and food service business units, and global strategy.
2. David Frey
Chief Financial Officer, Dallas Cowboys
David Frey is the Chief Financial Officer of Dallas Cowboys, a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League as a member club of the league's National Football Conference East division. Frey has been with the organization for over 22 years. Before joining the Dallas Cowboys, he was a Senior Manager at PwC. Frey graduated from Texas A&M University with a Bachelor of Business Administration in accounting.
3. David Ertel
Chief Financial Officer, Vizient
David Ertel is the Chief Financial Officer for Vizient. He leads finance, accounting, and audit services for Vizient and Provista. He also oversees information technology for the enterprise. Ertel brings a unique blend of experience, including over 30 years in healthcare and financial management, business strategy, operations, and mergers and acquisitions.
Before joining Vizient, Ertel served as CFO and Chief Strategy Officer at the University of Miami Health System & Miller School of Medicine. Prior to that, he held positions at Einstein Healthcare Network and Einstein Medical Center in Philadelphia, which is affiliated with Thomas Jefferson University. He’s also served in various roles at Morgan Stanley's National HealthCare Group in New York, the Health Care Public Finance Group at PaineWebber in New York, and the New Jersey State Department of Human Services. Ertel earned an MBA and a master's degree in public health from Columbia University, with a concentration in finance and hospital administration.
4. Leah Stearns
Chief Financial Officer, Copart
Leah Stearns is the Chief Financial Officer at Copart. She leads Copart’s finance and accounting functions to help enable the company’s continuing profitable growth. In this role, she utilizes her demonstrated track record for building high-performing teams within high-growth, global, and lean organizations.
Stearns most recently served as the CFO of CBRE, a global leader in commercial real estate services and investments. Before this, she served in financial and operational leadership roles at American Tower. She has an MBA from Boston College’s Carroll School of Management and a bachelor’s degree in finance from the Questrom School of Business at Boston University.
5. John Furrey
Senior Vice President Finance & North American CFO, Valtech
John Furrey is the Senior Vice President of Finance and the North American CFO of Valtech. Furrey guides economic activities to fortify corporate decisions with financial expertise. He also oversees acquisitions and contract negotiations to minimize corporate risks, monitors market conditions, and prepares operational budgets. He's a founding member of The F Suite, an independent, invitation-only community platform for Chief Financial Officers of leading venture capital funds and high-growth technology companies.
Furrey was previously the Vice President of Finance at NTT Data Services and the Vice President of Finance at Xerox Services. Before this, he spent ten years at HP Enterprise Services, most recently as Senior Director of Finance and CFO of Americas Delivery. Furrey graduated from the University of North Texas with an MBA in finance and Purdue University Krannert School of Management with an undergraduate degree in finance.
6. Jesse Sutton
Texas Region CFO, Adventist Health System
Jesse Sutton is the Texas Region Chief Financial Officer of Adventist Health System. Adventist Health is a faith-based, nonprofit, integrated health system serving more than 80 communities on the West Coast and Hawaii with over 400 sites of care. Sutton first joined the company in 2016.
Previously, Sutton was a CFO at Central Texas Medical Center and, before that, a Controller at Huguley Memorial Medical Center. Earlier in his career, he worked as a Senior Financial Analyst with Florida Hospital. Sutton earned an MBA from the University of TEXAS in Arlington and an undergraduate degree in accounting from Southwestern Adventist University.
7. Judd Nystrom
Chief Financial Officer, Caliber Collision
Judd Nystrom is the Chief Financial Officer of Caliber Collision. He manages the planning and implementation of financial activities, including business planning, budgeting, forecasting, and negotiation for all Caliber lines of business. He has a long track record of success in building and scaling financial operations.
Before Caliber, he was the CFO at NBG Home, a private equity-backed home décor design and manufacturing company. Prior to this, he was the Advisor of At Home, a home decor retailer. Nystrom’s past roles have also included senior financial positions at Advance Auto Parts and Best Buy. Nystrom is a graduate of the University of Minnesota Carlson School of Management and currently serves on the Board of Overseers.
8. Franklin Byrd
Chief Financial Officer, Sport Clips Haircuts
Franklin Byrd is the Chief Financial Officer of Sport Clips Haircuts. He brings over 25 years of experience in finance, accounting, and compliance.
As CFO of Intrusion, Inc., his vision, strategic focus, and people skills were invaluable to the company at a key time in its company lifecycle. Prior to joining Intrusion, Byrd served as CFO for Peak Nano Systems, LLC, where he was responsible for completing critical financings and scaling up office operations for the company. Byrd has also served as Vice President of Finance for Hunt Power L.P., a division of Hunt Consolidated Inc. Byrd is a Certified Public Accountant. He currently serves on the Financial Executives International Association and is an active member of The American Institute of CPAs and the Texas Society of Certified Public Accountants. He earned an MBA, with honors, from Houston Baptist University and a BBA in finance and accounting from Texas A&M University.
9. Thomas Kim
Chief Financial Officer, Smoothie King
Thomas Kim is the Chief Financial Officer of Smoothie King. Kim joined Smoothie King from Plano, Texas-based YourCause, a corporate social giving software technology company. He served as Chief Financial Officer and was responsible for planning, leading, and executing finance, accounting, and legal operations to grow the company rapidly. Prior to YourCause, Kim served as the chief financial officer of Working Solutions, where he led all finance, accounting, business intelligence, and corporate development initiatives. He also served in various roles in investment banking at Citigroup and MHT Partners and management consulting at Boston Consulting Group. Kim has an MBA from Harvard and a bachelor’s degree in economics from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.
10. Jennifer Ellis
Chief Financial Officer, Nothing Bundt Cakes
Jennifer Ellis is the Chief Financial Officer of Nothing Bundt Cakes. Before this, Ellis was the GVP of Finance and BSG & Operations (Division CFO) at Sally Beauty. Prior to this, she spent five years at Chico's FAS, Inc., most recently as Senior Vice President and Interim CFO. She was previously the Vice President of Finance at Men's Warehouse, Director of Custom Framing Finance at Michaels, and Director of Wholesale Channel Finance at RadioShack. Earlier in her career, she was Group Business ManagerGroup of Eckerd Drug Stores. Ellis graduated from Florida Gulf Coast University with an MBA and an undergraduate degree in finance.
11. Stew Fuller
Chief Financial Officer, Johnstone Supply
Stew Fuller is the Chief Financial Officer of Johnstone Supply. He first joined the company in 2022. Previously, Fuller was an SVP of Finance and Corporate Development at Lucid Energy Group. Before that, he was an Associate at EnCap Investment LP. Earlier in his career, he worked with Stephans Inc. as an Investment Banking Analyst. Fuller earned an MBA from Texas McCombs School of Business and an undergraduate degree in finance and economics from Southwestern Adventist University.
12. Chris Nester
Chief Financial Officer, FinThrive
Chris Nester is the Chief Financial Officer of FinThrive. He’s responsible for supporting strategic partnerships and financial transactions. With more than 25 years in financial leadership, Nester is experienced in capital allocation, mergers and acquisitions, investor relations, and risk management.
Previously, Nester was the CFO of Auctane. Before that, he was the CFO of Transplace, a technology company providing advanced logistics technology solutions, where he led a team that spearheaded a sale to Uber. He has led all aspects of finance organizations, including capital allocation, financing, accounting, mergers and acquisitions, strategic and operational planning, investor relations, and tax and risk management. He’s also held various financial positions at Sabre Corporation, where he was for over 12 years, most recently as Senior Vice President and Treasurer. Neste graduated from The University of Texas at Dallas with an MBA and from Wichita State University with a BBA in accounting.
13. Michael Haynes
Chief Financial Officer, Heritage Auctions
Michael Haynes is the Chief Financial Officer of Heritage Auctions. Haynes has served as an executive officer in private and publicly traded companies in the collectibles, precious metals, and specialty retail businesses. He utilizes this background and experience in many of Heritage's 39 auction categories, along with deep experience in finance and operations of companies in the collecting space.
Previously, Haynes was the Chief Executive Officer of Collectors Universe, the leading authenticator and grading service for collectible coins, sports cards, autographs, and memorabilia. He had previously served as President of Heritage (from 1974–1990), President of A-Mark Precious Metals, and more recently, as CEO of American Precious Metals Exchange (APMEX). Haynes has a master's degree in business and is a Certified Public Accountant.
14. Bryce Peterson
Chief Financial Officer, American College of Education
Bryce Peterson is the Chief Financial Officer of the American College of Education, a student-first university delivering high-quality, affordable education to students across the world. Peterson is responsible for the university's finance, IT, compliance, and analytics strategies.
Prior to joining the American College of Education, he was the Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer for Universal Technical Institute. Before joining Universal Technical Institute, he was a Manager at KPMG, LLP, where he served international clients in multiple industries. Peterson specializes in developing and implementing data-informed, technology-enabled strategies to significantly grow businesses and improve operations. Microsoft and the Phoenix Business Journal have previously recognized Peterson as a leader in technology innovation. Peterson is a frequent speaker at industry conferences and has published multiple articles on accounting, compliance, and technology innovation in the Journal of Accountancy, The Internal Auditor, and Books 24×7. Peterson previously served on advisory boards at Brigham Young University, Pearson Education, and Arizona’s Children Association. He is a Certified Public Accountant licensed in the State of Arizona. He received a master’s degree in information systems management and a bachelor’s degree in business management from Brigham Young University.
15. Clint Gilchrist
Vice President & CFO, Parker University
Clint Gilchrist is the Vice President and Chief Financial Officer at Parker University, a healthcare University and the fourth-fastest growing college in Texas. In his role, he is responsible for finance, treasury, risk management, human resource, and endowment operations. He is also the Executive Director of Parker Performance Institute, a pioneering concept in performance-enhancing healthcare.
Prior to Parker, Gilchrist was the Controller at Southern Methodist University. In addition to his roles in non-profit education, he spent nearly a decade in a variety of investment-related roles and has also been a consultant for Deloitte. He holds a Master of Accountancy degree from Brigham Young University.
16. Sean Mathew
Chief Financial Officer, Eventide Asset Management
Sean Mathew serves as Chief Financial Officer at Eventide Asset Management. He is responsible for primary leadership, reporting, and oversight over all aspects of financial management and operations of Eventide. Eventide is a Boston-based investment adviser practicing "investing that makes the world rejoice®." Founded in 2008, Eventide's vision is to serve individuals, financial advisors, and institutions by providing high-performance investments that we believe create compelling value for the global common good.
Prior to joining Eventide, Mr. Mathew was most recently a Senior Manager with KPMG’s Alternative Investment Funds practice based in the Dallas office. In his role, he served one of the largest private equity clients in the tax practice. He has extensive experience with domestic and foreign Partnerships, Corporations, consolidated entities, and other vehicles. He has provided tax compliance and consulting services to global alternative investment funds, including distressed credit, fund of funds, and real estate sector. He is a member of the AICPA and licensed Certified Public Accountant in Texas. Mr. Mathew earned his BS in accounting from The University of Texas at Dallas.
17. Melissa Johnsen
Chief Financial Officer, Strive Medical
Melissa Johnsen is the Chief Financial Officer at Strive Medical. Previously, Johnsen was at Matrix Medical Network as the Chief Financial Officer of Clinical Solutions. Prior to this, she was the Founder, COO and CFO at Baltogo Concierge Pet Care. In this role, she developed the initial execution plan, managed the internal team and the staff at the initial partner veterinary clinic, and established an easily replicable process to help scale the business. She spent eight years as the CFO of Signify Health and was previously an Investment Banking Analyst at Morgan Stanley. Johnsen graduated from Georgetown University with an undergraduate degree in accounting.
18. Clay Myers
EVP and Chief Financial Officer, Quorum
Clay Myers is the Chief Financial Officer at Quorum. He is responsible for leading the company’s accounting and finance organization. Myers brings to Quorum more than 25 years of financial and operational leadership experience in the technology sector.
Prior to Quorum, he spent six years in finance and operations roles at One Technologies, a provider of digital products and services in the consumer analytics arena. Myers also served as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer at telecommunications provider HyperCube LLC. Under his leadership, the company achieved CAGR above 34% over six years and was acquired in 2012. Myers is a CPA and holds a BBA in accounting from the University of Texas at Austin.
19. Jordan Phelps
Chief Financial Officer, Weaver
Jordan Phelps is the Chief Financial Officer of Weaver. He has more than 17 years of diverse experience in public accounting and internal financial leadership for fast-growth private equity-backed portfolio companies. As CFO, he leads Weaver’s internal financial planning, management, and reporting to maximize efficiency and minimize risk.
Phelps has managed domestic and international operations during his years as a financial executive, fostering business growth and maximizing cash flow through financial management, cost controls, internal controls, and efficiency improvements. He has executed several equity financings, debt offerings, acquisitions, and divestitures and helped successfully resolve large legal disputes. Previously, Phelps was a Controller at Alerian, Corporate Controller at Neon One, and SVP of Accounting and Finance at Excentus. Phelps graduated with a master’s degree in accounting and a BBA from the University of Texas at Austin.
20. Norm Burke
Chief Financial Officer, Tellabs
Norm Burke is the Chief Financial Officer of Tellabs. He is responsible for the overall financial management of the company. Burke is an experienced finance executive with over 30 years of global financial leadership spanning both private and publicly owned multinational companies. He joined Tellabs in 2015 as the company’s Corporate Controller.
Prior to Tellabs, Burke held senior-level finance positions focusing on financial planning and strategy with MoneyGram International and Dresser. Before this, he was at Resources Global Professionals, KB Home Service Interactive, and Fannie Mae. Burke has a BS in accounting from Wilkes University.
21. Dan Reinheimer
Chief Financial Officer, Modern Aviation
Dan Reinheimer is the Chief Financial Officer of Modern Aviation. He first joined the company in 2009. Modern Aviation is a growing company that is building a national network of premium FBO properties.
Previously, Reinheimer was a CFO at AsTech. Before that, he was the Chief Financial Officer - consultant at Hawaii Gas. Earlier in his career, he worked with Frontier Communications as a VP of Finance. Reinheimer earned an MBA in corporate finance and accounting from the University of Dallas and an undergraduate degree in finance and economics from the University of Missouri.
22. Roberto Canales
Chief Financial Officer, Neora
Roberto Canales is the Chief Financial Officer of Neora, a global marketing company offering breakthrough, proprietary age-fighting skincare and wellness products. He’s in charge of all aspects of corporate finance and risk management. As a partner to the Co-CEO and the entire executive team, he brings effective leadership and direction to the organization's overall financial health, operating plans, and strategies.
Before joining Neora, Canales was the CFO of World Ventures Holdings. Before that, he was a Corporate Controller and VP at ProCore Laboratories. Earlier in his career, he worked with Early Career as a Section Chief, Claim Agent, and Accounting Manager. Canales graduated from The University of Texas at San Antonio with an undergraduate degree in accounting and business management.
23. Aaron Peterson
Chief Financial Officer, Bergdorf Goodman
Aaron Peterson is the Chief Financial Officer of Bergdorf Goodman. He’s an accomplished finance executive with 15 years of finance and analytical experience across multiple industries, including healthcare, retail, aerospace, defense, and mining.
Before Bergdorf Goodman, Peterson was the Senior Vice President of Finance at the At Home Group Inc. Before this, he was at DaVita as the Senior Director of Finance and Accounting and at Walgreens as the Finance Manager of the Dallas Market. He also held various positions at RAS & Associates, The Sports Authority, and Target. Peterson graduated from the University of Denver Daniels College of Business with an MBA and a bachelor's degree in sports management from the University of Minnesota.
24. Jeff Kupp
Chief Financial Officer, Sandvine
Jeff Kupp is the Chief Financial Officer of Sandvine. He has over 20 years of CFO experience, having served as CFO for six public and private companies where he led multiple successful exit transactions and a public offering.
Prior to joining Sandvine, Kupp was the CFO and Chief Operating Officer at Authentix. At Authentix, Kupp was responsible for leading the finance and operations team as the company became recognized in its field. Before Authentix, Kupp served as CFO at Microtune. During his tenure at Microtune, the company completed a successful IPO, and Kupp played a key role in executing the company’s growth strategy. Kupp has also held senior executive positions at Inet Technologies (acquired by Tektronix) and Kupp LLC, an independent management consulting firm he founded in 2010. Kupp has an MBA from Cornell Johnson Graduate School of Management and a bachelor’s degree in computer science and accounting from Asbury University.
25. Dalles Stiles
CFO and VP of Finance, Acumed
Dalles Stiles is the Chief Financial Officer and VP of Finance of Acumed.
Before joining Acumed, Stiles was a VP Of global FP&A at Orthofix. Prior to joining Orthofix, he served as Vice President, Business Planning and Analysis in the Operations Strategy Organization at Citi Consumer Bank. Before this, he served in various program management roles at Raytheon Space and Airborne Systems, leading the manufacturing and delivery of electronic components in support of Department of Defense Programs. Stiles earned an MBA in finance and strategy from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, and a bachelor’s degree in economics from Brigham Young University.
