Paul W. Chase.

FEI members may likely find "Paul Chase" a familiar name, since Paul is Vice President and CFO of FEI. Thus, he has a deep understanding of what members experience in the profession. He also understands the value of volunteering.

Title: Vice President and CFO

Company: Financial Executives International (FEI), membership association of senior financial executives

Born: Pittsfield, Mass., Nov. 6, 1948

Spouse: Patricia, for 28 years

Children: Alison, 26; Lindsey, 24; Andrew, 20

Education Summary: BS, Electrical Engineering, University of Massachusetts, 1970; MBA, Stern School of Business (New York University), 1975; CPA, New Jersey, 1978

Career Summary: St. Joe Minerals Corp., New York, 1976-81, Internal Auditor, traveling to different locations and auditing the various operations provided valuable insight into the company; National Distillers and Chemical Corp., New York, 1981-82, Internal Audit Supervisor; The CIT Group, Livingston, N.J., 1982-94, Assistant Vice President/Audit Manager; RC Transportation Group, Orange, N.J., 1994-96, Controller; S & D Environmental, East Brunswick, N.J., 1996-99, Controller; Financial Executives International (FEI), Florham Park, N.J., 1999-present; Vice President and CFO.

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Board of Directors Service: Florham Park Councilman, 2003-2005; Florham Park Planning Board, 1994-Present; Shepherds of Youth Trust, 1999--Present

FEI Chapter: Currently, President of the New Jersey Chapter; member since 2002.

Leisure Pursuits: Golf, bicycling and skiing

Time Management: Plan well ahead and keep to your schedule. Don't over-commit yourself. You need to balance your professional and personal commitments, but make some time available for community-related volunteer projects.

Stress Management: I try to get to the health club at least twice a week when I'm not out riding my bike or skiing.

Recently-read Book: I recently finished reading Executive Roadmap to Fraud Prevention and Internal Control, by Martin Biegelman and Joel Bartow. Martin was also a speaker at FEI's annual Summit earlier this year, where he gave a presentation on identifying and preventing fraud. As a former internal auditor, I can appreciate the need for greater compliance and accountability throughout all levels of the organization. For a CFO, the book reinforces the need for periodic risk assessments of fraud and the idea that senior management must set the tone for integrity and ethical conduct.

If I could, I'd spend 1 hour with: Joe Torre. As manager of the New York Yankees for 11 seasons, he has won four World Series Championships, two American League pennants and has been named Manager of the Year twice.

What's the best advice you've ever received? A former boss, after discussing a new task or assignment, would tell us, "don't screw it up." It was more of a challenge than a comment on our capabilities.

Favorite Jobs: My current job as CFO of FEI. I am fortunate to have the opportunity to work and network with many talented people, who also happen to be fellow controllers and CFOs. The board and leadership are very supportive of the organization, and I'm always learning from their experiences and advice.

Worst Job: As an internal auditor, we had to take inventory of equipment that was used in coal mining operations. The equipment was typically four to five miles underground, and most of it was in sections of the mine no more than four feet high. The inventory was usually taken during the slowest shift, which was from midnight until 8 a.m. Needless to say, we listened carefully to the safety instructions and stayed close to the shift supervisor.

If I could I would: Get people to volunteer some of their time to a charitable organization, hospital, civic group, school or any other worthwhile organization.

As a child, I expected to grow up to be: A teacher. Two of my uncles and a cousin were teachers. They really enjoyed their jobs and, besides, they had the whole summer off to travel or take a second job.

Memorable Moments: For the past several years I've taken ski trips to different locations in the French, Swiss and Italian Alps with a group of fellow die-hard skiers. Each trip is a new adventure, with spectacular views of the mountains and countryside, great cuisine and plenty of wine. I would highly recommend it to anyone who likes to ski.

Email: [e-mail]

--Edited by Ellen M. Heffes