June 2020 Member Spotlight - Christine M. Hurt

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Title: Chief Financial Officer
 
Company: Ayers Saint Gross
 
Length of time you’ve been a FEI member: 2 years
 
FEI leadership involvement (past and present): Daniel Lucenti, an Ayers Saint Gross architect, and I will be hosting an upcoming event at the Enoch Pratt Library. We hope to see you there!
 
Work email: [email protected]       
 
Work phone number: (410) 347-8500
 
Tell us a little bit about your career, educational/professional background and how you got to where you are today.
 
After graduating from the University of Delaware, I worked for EY in public accounting before launching a career as a financial professional in the contracting industry. As a CPA with my MBA from Loyola University Maryland focused on information systems, I thrive in challenging situations that require strategic thinking. I continually strive to design and develop operating processes that coordinate with teams from multiple departments. As the CFO of Ayers Saint Gross, a multi-disciplined, employee-owned design firm, I work to influence and shape the company’s trajectory.
 
What do you love most about working as a financial executive?
 
I love to teach financial concepts to non-financial professionals. Ayers Saint Gross is an employee stock ownership plan (ESOP), so my current passion is to educate employees on ESOP basics – How to think like an employee owner, making sense of financial statements, and how do we spend what we earn (i.e. where does the money go?).
 
What personality traits and intangible qualities do you look for when recruiting new talent?
 
I look for someone who exudes positivity, is a strategic thinker, a change agent, a lover of technology, and has an interesting life outside of work.
 
 
What extracurricular organization has influenced the way you work?
 
I am very proud that both of my adult sons are Eagle Scouts. My husband and I have been scouters since the boys were in first grade and continued to be involved well after they were in college. I find that the model of the Boy Scouts of America has shaped my thought leadership – grounded in the points of the Scout law, the concepts of leadership, delegation, empowerment, hard work, and respect. 
 
What are some of your personal hobbies outside of finance?
 
My husband and I travel, attend the theatre, spend time on our boat, occasionally play golf, ski, SCUBA dive, and Segway in any city we can get to. Personally, I love to ring hand bells and sing.