FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Brittany Carter
Phone: (240) 235-0277
Email: bcarter@columbiabooks.com

Bethesda, Md. – Thomas F. Tepper, Vice President for Finance & Administration, at the Wilderness Society, has been named one of the 2015 Nonprofit CFO Transformational Leaders. He will be honored at the 2015 Nonprofit CFO of the Year Awards Luncheon, March 13 at The Mayflower Hotel in Washington DC.

“Tom has provided tremendous leadership for The Wilderness Society since he began in December 2012. He has provided the organization with a solid financial footing from which to grow, and his pragmatism and commitment to staff learning has given TWS the tools to succeed. I am so proud of the work that Tom has done to manage TWS’s finances, and to lead the organization on many efforts including staff training and diversity” said Jamie Williams, President of The Wilderness Society.

In his leadership role with The Wilderness Society, Tom partners with the senior team in stimulating innovation and creativity throughout the organization and it’s over 150 staff, volunteers, and interns.  Beyond delivering exceptional service in finance, human resources, and information technology, Tom urges continual improvement, asking what we might change today for the better and reinvent ourselves for tomorrow. Tom’s career has spanned operational, strategic and financial leadership roles in large and small for-profit and for-cause enterprises, from organizations in existence from 25 to 125 years, to entrepreneurial companies and cultivation of nascent business concepts, assisting in planning and execution of existing businesses and new initiatives spanning media, hospitality, sports entertainment and new technologies. From massive marketing, networking and outreach efforts, such as leadership of the International Coastal Cleanup and its parent Ocean Conservancy, to intensive development and acquisition, such as The Nature Company and Discovery Channel Health, Tom has been instrumental in the growth of the enterprises and teams with which he has worked. From his roots in public accounting, through a half dozen years with each of Discovery Communications and National Geographic Society, to his current role, Tom has provided insight in delivering lasting value in companies’ advancement on mission and reach towards vision.

Tom graduated from the Catholic University of America with a bachelor’s degree in Accounting, is a Certified Public Accountant, and member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. Tom has been previously acknowledged in the field of finance, from recognition with high distinction by the State of Virginia for performance on the Certified Public Accounting examination through 2007 as a Washington Not-for-Profit Financial Executive finalist.  Currently Chairman of Bikes for the World, Tom has served on a variety of boards in leadership positions, including the Colorado Treasury Management Association and EarthShare, Tom has spearheaded leadership training programs at Arthur Andersen & Co. as well as Discovery Communications, Inc., and continues to provide strategic counsel to organizations, past and present, with which he has affiliated.  Aside from his passion for bikes, Tom is a member of the American Volleyball Coaches Association & Chesapeake Region Volleyball Association, coaches high school volleyball, and assists with scuba instruction as a PADI Divemaster with the Atlantic Edge Dive Center.  Tom lives in Kensington, Maryland with Kristen, his wife of twenty-three years, their three daughters, Julia, Grace and Claire, and chocolate lab Winnie.

The 2015 Nonprofit CFO Transformational Leaders will be honored at the Nonprofit CFO of the Year Awards Luncheon, March 13 at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington DC. Also to be honored at the event are the 2015 Nonprofit CFO of the Year, and Nonprofit CFO Rising Star. For more information visit www.NonprofitCFOAward.com

About the Nonprofit CFO of the Year Awards: Each year the CFO Awards recognize the often unsung leadership role CFOs have in the important works nonprofits do, working generally behind the scene as a key supporter of the executive director, to keep the organization moving forward. The program is hosted in joint partnership with Association TRENDS, Tate & Tryon and West, Lane & Schlager Realty Advisors.