Multi-tasking and focused: Mary Jo Green; As Mary Jo Green steps up as volunteer chair for FEI, it represents a change in leadership--placing a woman in the top role for only the second time in its 73-year history.

The finance profession is changing, and Financial Executives International (FEI) is changing with it. For the first time in its history, last year FEI named Colleen Sayther CEO and President. At the same time, FEI Canada also hired a woman CEO and President, Isabel Meharry, as well as electing Stephanie Coldwell as its volunteer chair.

Mary Jo Green's tenure as chair-from 2004-5 follows the only other woman volunteer chair, Penelope Flugger, who served from 1995 to 1996.

FEI is changing substantially," says Green. "When I first joined FEI, there were few women at any meetings," she adds. At that time, few females had the opportunity to be CFOs or CEOs of corporations, but now quite a few are moving up the ranks, she explains. An economics major in undergraduate school, Green says she was the sole woman in many of her classes. Now, with many more women pursuing business careers, she says, "There will continue to be more women in business; it's just a matter of how long it will take." But, she adds, "I know we are heading in the right direction."

Women account for 10 percent of FEI's members, and Green says she hopes to raise that figure, beginning as part of her goal to further diversify FEI's membership.

Green is definitely high-energy and high-performance, quick-spoken, yet thoughtful. Born in New Jersey, she says she has never had to look for a job in her 34-year career. Currently Senior Vice President and Treasurer of Sony Corp. of America in New York City, she says she got her past positions as a result of someone calling and alerting her to the opportunity. She'd go to some interviews to look, never certain she wanted to move. "I've always been happy in what I was doing--I've been very lucky throughout my career," she says.

Green received her BA in economics and MBA from Rutgers in 1969 and 1970, respectively--having financed her own education through scholarships and part-time work. She began her career in the accounting department of retailer McCrory Corp., then joined American Cyanamid Co., in the budgeting department and later the accounting department. She moved to Schering-Plough Corp. in several positions of increasing responsibility in the treasury department, and then to Pitney Bowes Inc., rising to Vice President and Treasurer. In 2001, she joined Sony with responsibility for cash management, bank relationships, hedging foreign exchange and interest rate exposures, asset management relating to pension fund management and 401(k) defined-benefit/defined contribution plans and funding strategies for several business units--Electronics, Pictures, Music and Computer Entertainment--that fall under the Sony umbrella. One of the most enjoyable parts of her job with Sony, she says, is learning about structuring financing deals.

From her 17-year FEI membership--having joined the Connecticut/Westchester chapter when she became eligible for membership--Green says she's "met some wonderful people and gained a lot of friends." Also, "It forces me to stay on top of all the subjects that affect my field." The most valuable part of FEI membership to her is the networking: "With the emails and contact with various people, when I have questions, I have a resource to call upon," she notes.

Her involvement with FEI has deepened over the years. She's held a variety of leadership positions, beginning at the local, and then the national levels. Among those positions were Chapter President, National Leadership Board and Vice President-at-Large. Outgoing chair H. Stephen Grace Jr. says of Green, "I've known and admired Mary Jo for a long time--having met through FEI. She will be an excellent chair for FEI as she combines her knowledge of the organization and her qualities as a top-notch financial executive with her leadership abilities."

Green has three main goals during her upcoming chairmanship. One is to get more treasurers to join FEI--but she knows she'll first have to provide more reasons to join. "We have to show them the value proposition," she says. To do that, "We need to increase our focus on the needs and issues of interest to treasurers and provide necessary resources in the areas of cash management, pension, insurance and other risk-management issues." She stresses that none of these focus areas will take away from FEI's continuing expansion of core services and products for CFOs and controllers.

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A second goal is to increase the diversity of FEI's membership. When looking around an FEI meeting room, Green says, "I don't see a diverse (enough) audience, I'd like to see more Hispanics, Asians, blacks and women." She acknowledges the difficulty of this task, but notes she's already engaged some members who are willing to help her in this effort. "We may, perhaps, start an award program for 'the most diverse chapter,' or the chapter with the largest increase in women and minorities, or utilize some other technique to encourage chapters to take on this mission." After all, Green comments, "FEI's future is in its chapters and its members, and if we don't bring in new, diverse, young and energetic people, then it doesn't bode well for our future."

A third goal is to develop new revenue sources for FEI. One under development is a product to deliver continuing professional education (CPE) credits online. But, as Green notes, "There are at least a dozen other ideas out there. We have to harvest them and work them one by one."

If she can get only one major task done, which would it be? True to what you'd expect from Green, one is not acceptable. She wants all three! Yet, she's realistic about her task--to a point: "If I only increase each area by a small percentage in one year, someone will then pick up the baton next year and do a little bit more. We are headed in the right direction," she adds.

Finally, she says, "We have to be true to our name--Financial Executives International," so all her goals incorporate the international arena. She acknowledges the liaisons already created with Australia and Mexico to share information and member resources. "As we continue to grow, it will be good for members to know they can go to their international peers--in, say, Mexico, or Germany or Italy, or wherever they have an issue that is indigenous to that country--who have more local knowledge than they do, and we in the U.S. can do the same for others."

In light of the corporate and accounting scandals, what does Green view as FEI's role? "FEI is the voice of financial executives, and I'm almost embarrassed for the profession that the Enrons, WorldComs, Adelphias and others have happened." But, she notes, "You can't just make rules for ethics and expect that everybody is going to follow." She offers a reminder that FEI's code of ethics aims to help CFOs, treasurers and controllers make sure that they run their departments with proper governance.

FEI's code provides what she calls "the guidepost" of what is the proper way to do things. "In my organization, I have my staff sign a code of ethics that is mirrored from FEI's document, and I instruct them on the seriousness of what they've signed."

Energetic and trim, Green says she never sits still. "I am a multi-tasking person. I love sports, exercise and especially playing golf." She particularly enjoys travel with her husband "whenever we get the opportunity, but not as often as we'd like due to both of our careers," and a few days a week, she works out using her own home equipment.

Green considers herself lucky in her personal life. Married to Steve, her second husband, for 9 years, she says merging the two families--her daughter Nicole, now 26, and his three, Brad now 15, Catherine, 17, and Alison, 21--and her dog was easier than you'd think. She had raised her daughter alone for 10 years before the merge with Steve and his three small children. She says the family has fun and spends much time together (although all the children don't live with her), and they enjoy vacations, like the cruise to Alaska they planned for June. They reside in Stamford, Conn.

What motivates Green? "A sense of accomplishment. I like to do a good job, and don't do anything half-way. I like a sense of organization."

And, getting things done is key to FEI's Sayther, who says she is looking forward to Green's tenure. "Mary Jo's enthusiasm and energy level, and her ability to get things done, excite me, and I look forward to working with her and supporting her goals--notably, her quest for expanding diversity among FEI members."

Early in her career, Green learned two important lessons: one related to business and one related to her own capabilities. When working in the budgeting department at American Cyanamid (1974-79), her CFO approached her with a big project--converting from FIFO to LIFO. "He wanted me--with my MBA in accounting--to spearhead the project. 'We're counting on you to get it done, and we are not going to take no for an answer,' he said."

Accepting the challenge, she says she really put her heart into it, and it paid off. She completed the project and presented the results to the board of directors--an adjustment of $27 million, which came out within $100,000 of her estimate. After that, she was given the accounting department to run--which, at the time, was a major step up in what has become a noteworthy career.

Selected last year by her alma mater, Rutgers University, to receive a Distinguished Alumni Award, Green was also asked to become an occasional speaker for the college student business forum--to talk about the business world, what students can expect and how she's managed her own career.

When lecturing to the students, she recalls that big task when she was quite young, and advises, "When given a challenge, ask, 'How can I attack this?' Even if you have to parcel it out in steps--you can accomplish it. You have to have the confidence to get the right resources to do it, and do it to the best of your ability, because, you will be surprised how that may pay big dividends in the future."

As she begins her year as FEI's leader, if history is a predictor of the future--at least in Green's case--she'll hopefully follow her own advice.