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Team - Cheryl Wilson

Chief Strategy Officer

Cheryl Wilson is a proven leader and seasoned financial expert with more than 37 years of successful financial and operations management performance support for both domestic and international companies. Having spent 26 years, 18 of those years as a partner, with one of the world’s largest public accounting firms, Cheryl has supported clients from early stage growth to Fortune 500 public companies.

Cheryl has first hand knowledge of the demands and expectations facing both board members and corporate executives. During the past 30 years, Cheryl has served on 15 boards and 5 audit committees of private companies, and professional, civic, and nonprofit organizations.

When Cheryl was admitted to the partnership of Coopers & Lybrand, now PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, she was the first woman partner in the Chicago office, the third in the Firm and one of 18 in the top ten accounting firms in the United States. Additionally, she was the first women regional practice leader in the Coopers & Lybrand Midwest region. As a member of the Midwest region management committee and managing partner for the Midwest region middle market practice, Cheryl’s responsibility for operating profit provided the needed leadership that quadrupled service revenues in six years.

Cheryl’s knowledge and expertise reflect her leadership skills which have successfully navigated organizations through challenging issues, including her own successful startup of a commercial real estate development corporation as well as a troubled business turnaround as the chairperson and CEO of a social service agency.

Cheryl’s comprehensive knowledge of corporate governance, compliance and financial accounting and reporting standards reflects her extensive involvement with boards and audit committees of private companies and professional, civic and non-profit organizations, including: Board of Examiners of the State of Illinois, CPA Endowment Fund of Illinois, Governing Council of American Institute of CPAs, Illinois CPA Society, Theatreplex Entertainment Properties, Inc, and The Women’s Treatment Center. Other past board involvement includes the Business Advisory Council of Illinois State University, Chicago Finance Exchange, Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce, and Midwest Women’s Center.

Recognized for her many contributions, Cheryl has been honored as one of the “100 Women Making a Difference” by Today’s Chicago Woman and she is a member of The Chicago Network. She was inducted into the Northern Arizona University College of Business Administration Alumni Hall of Fame. She has been awarded both the Lifetime Achievement and Public Service Awards from the Illinois CPA Society and the Founders Award from The Women’s Treatment Center.

As a member of the Illinois Board of Examiners, Cheryl stays current on issues facing the CPA profession, including ethics, accounting and reporting and proposed International Financial Reporting Standards and implementation issues. As a board member of a private New York holding company, she has first hand knowledge of governance, operational strategies, and compliance demands.

Cheryl earned her MBA from the University of Chicago’s Graduate School of Business and holds a B.S. in Accounting from Northern Arizona University. She has an active Illinois CPA license.