LeBow College Sponsors Second Annual CFO Awards, Congratulates Winners

The second annual CFO of the Year Awards presentation, sponsored by Drexel University’s LeBow College of Business and the Philadelphia Business Journal and presented by Marsh, was held Thursday, July 9, at a luncheon event attended by more than 300 people.

The awardees are financial professionals in the Delaware Valley who demonstrate outstanding performance in their roles as corporate financial stewards. Three Drexel University alumni were among the finalists: Thomas Masci ‘68, Health Advocate Inc.; Joseph M. Lario ‘68, Kennedy Health Systems; and Peter Nolan ‘83, ‘99, Firstrust Bank. And of these three, two took home the CFO of the Year award in their respective category. Lario took top honors in the Health Care Nonprofit category; and Masci took top honors in the Medium Company category.

Other CFO of the Year Award winners include John Scott, Graboyes Commercial Window Co., winner in the Small Company category as well as recipient of the Turnaround Achievement Award; David Smeltzer, Aqua America, and Ellen Wolf, American Water Inc., who tied for the award in the Large Company category; and Bayard Gardineer III, American Red Cross of Southeastern PA, who won top honors in the Nonprofit Company category.

The winners were selected by a panel of seven independent judges, including LeBow College of Business Dean George Tsetsekos, Ph.D. The judges selected finalists and winners based on evidence of how the nominee’s strategies helped the organization overcome adverse situations, and they looked for quantitative examples of how the nominee’s performance contributed to the company’s growth and profitability. Community service was also taken into account.