Cynthia Ann Frey

  • Executive Director, Controller, CFO
  • Raleigh, NC, USA
  • Aug 17, 2024
Full time Accounting Executive Finance Nonprofit Professional Services Strategy-Planning

Personal Summary

I am seeking a job where I can use my professional skills to help others grow in faith and with an organization with values that align with my values and the Catholic church.

My current roles as the Director of Operations and Regional Director of North America with the non-profit organization AGN International have allowed me to focus on juggling multiple projects while developing relationships and serving internal and external customers. I have led the financial management and operations of the organization and had supervisor responsibilities of six direct reports.

Strong communication skills are critical in my role coordinating information between the Global CEO, the internal team, the regional committees, and boards as well as members and external stakeholders. I have had the dual role of both working to create the organization’s strategy and translating those plans into resources in a constantly evolving operational environment. Most of those plans have been successful, but I have also had the prudence to know when a project has run its course and the time to modify plans was at hand.

Work Experience

Regional Director/Director of Operations
Sep 2017 - Present AGN International - North America, Inc.

Regional Director, North America                                                                          January 2020 – Present

Supervised six direct reports for the 501c(6) nonprofit CPA Firm Association supporting 44 member firms. Responsible for member outreach and development, financial and operational reporting, financial planning, and accounting. Directly managed a $3M regional budget. Collaborate with the Global CEO, North American Board, and Executive Committee to create strategic plans to enhance and grow the organization.

·      Transitioned the regional leadership committee away from a focus on day-to-day operations to strategic planning activities, leading to the creation of a three-year strategic plan which resulted in clear direction for the organization and clear expectations for staff.

·      Established a Technical Resource Center (TRC) for members to quickly draw on expertise from vetted experts, creating an expansion of their firm’s capabilities providing growth in revenues and client satisfaction. This resource has led to the addition of at least 5 member firms in the 2 ½ years since its launch, bringing over $100,000 in new annual revenue to the association.

·      Instituted subregional communities within the region. The biannual meetings have resulted in increased collaboration among member firms, and increased participation with the organization by all levels of staff, expanding the organization’s reach. 

·      Collaborate with a team of internal talent, third-party vendors, and speakers to create conferences, events, and continuing education opportunities that are instructional and engaging leading to member retention and satisfaction.

·      Grew Resource Partner / Sponsorship revenues from $25k to $128k.

Director of Global Operations                                                                                January 2019 – Present

Supervised six direct reports. Responsible for regional programming, communications and communities; as well as global procedures, information systems and team strategy.

·      Promoted to Director over an unstable team of six, reducing staff turnover of more than 50% down to under 15% by leveraging established relationships to create a plan to unify the team. Beginning with a schedule of recurring team and one-on-one meetings virtually and quarterly in-person meetings. Incorporated team-building activities such as community service into team gatherings. As a result, the team regained stability, retaining 80% over the next three and a half years.

·      Oversaw major member database software upgrade implementation, which simplified processes, saving $30,000 on third-party support fees, all while improving the member experience with user-friendly solutions. 

·      Shifted to external consultants for the IT and event function saving the organization $80,000 annually and reducing risk.

·      Improved productivity through process documentation across all operations areas, including the creation of a Disaster Recovery Plan. Implemented project management software, created templates for recurring use which improved staff onboarding and eased the transition of responsibilities.

·      Implemented software programs to replace manual tasks, simplifying processes and creating efficiencies which freed up approximately four staff hours per week to focus on member-facing programs.

Member Programs Manager                                                               September 2017 – December 2018

Coordinated member educational programs in the form of webinars and in-person conferences with a shared responsibility for topic-focused member communities.

·      Increased focus on member input which resulted in a doubling of year-over-year webinar offerings and a 50% increase in webinar programs registration.

·      Increased virtual programs attendance by 25 - 50% through the creation of a systematic plan for sending promotional emails to targeted audiences. Members' positive feedback on the communications plan was supported by a 20% click-through rate.

·      Created an intricate onboarding plan that was automatically triggered when a firm was accepted into membership. Each task was assigned a timeline and responsible party. The detailed plan provided members with a thorough understanding of the organization at a critical point in their membership, cementing their connection and increasing member retention. In addition, it provided clear expectations of responsibilities and deadlines for internal staff.

Education

BA Accounting
Aug 1988 - Aug 1993 North Carolina State University