CFO Roundtable Debuts

May 3, 2021

The Cameron Center for Finance and Securities Analysis and the Oregon Executive MBA have teamed to create the CFO Roundtable. Geared to members of the community, as well as Lundquist College alumni and current students, the virtual event will provide an up-close look at the role of chief financial officers and how they influence their organizations.

Scheduled for Wednesday, May 12, at 12:00 noon, the roundtable will feature three CFOs working in three different industries:

Allen Parker, CFO of leading real estate marketplace Zillow
Jennifer Welander, CFO of St. Charles Health System, the largest provider of healthcare in Central Oregon
Steve Zogas, CFO of Vigor Industrial, a leading provider of shipbuilding, ship repair, and complex fabrication in the Pacific Northwest and Alaska, and MHI Holdings, the major marine repair and conversion contractor
MODERATOR: Jefferson Kamau, MBA/MSF '21

Allen Parker, CFO, Zillow

Allen Parker, CFO, Zillow

As chief financial officer of Zillow Group, Allen Parker oversees the company’s accounting, finance, legal, mergers and acquisitions, and treasury functions.

Parker has nearly 30 years of experience in operational finance, including the Fortune 500 companies Amazon and General Electric. Before joining Zillow Group in 2018, Parker served as vice president of finance for Amazon Devices, Appstore, and Amazon Pay, where he helped build and scale key finance structures and processes to support the business division’s rapid and robust growth. Before that, Parker held leadership roles at Trane Residential Systems and General Electric Lighting, including director of global business development and global controller.

Allen earned a bachelor of science in accounting from the University of Oregon Lundquist College of Business.

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Jennifer Welander, CFO, St. Charles Health System

Jennifer Welander, CFO, St. Charles Health System

Jennifer Welander has served as the CFO of St. Charles Health System since January 2015. Prior to that, she served as the organization's director of finance.

In 2019, Governor Kate Brown appointed Welander to a committee established to control the cost of health care in Oregon. She earned her bachelor's degree in accounting and her MBA through the Oregon Executive MBA.

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Steve Zogas, CFO, Vigor Industrial and MHI Holdings LLC

Steve Zogas, CFO, Vigor Industrial and MHI Holdings LLC

Steve Zogas is responsible for leading all aspects of financial management for Pacific Northwest shipping giant Vigor Industrial, including oversight for IT. He joined Vigor in 2013 to build the company’s financial planning and analysis department from the ground up. Subsequently, as vice president of finance, Zogas oversaw finance and accounting functions for all of Vigor’s business units, including planning, analysis, treasury, reporting tax, accounting, and IT. He was also involved in the company’s acquisition of Oregon Iron Works and Kvichak Marine.

In 2019, Portland Business Journal honored Zogas as CFO of the Year in the large business category. Zogas earned his undergraduate degree in business administration from the University of Oregon Lundquist College of Business.

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Why Focus on CFOs?

Whether it’s scaling the administrative side of a growing startup, growing revenue for a nonprofit, prepping for a successful IPO, or helping shape the strategic direction of a large public company, the CFO’s role is essential.

“Companies always have an infinite number of possibilities for where to go next. CFOs play a strategic role by focusing resources on efforts that will bring a high return,” said John Lundquist, program manager for the Cameron Center.

Crucial as their function is, CFOs often do their work behind the scenes. The roundtable aims to provide an accessible look at the way the CFOs work together with other c-suite members to make the decisions powering their organizations to success.

"We know this discussion will appeal to people who already have a strong interest in finance. But anyone who wants a new perspective on c-suite strategy will also benefit from hearing these CFOs talk about their work," said Rachel Todd, director of the Oregon Executive MBA.