January 2020 Member Spotlight - Kim Davis

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Title: Chief Accounting Officer
 
Company: Versant Health
 
Length of time you’ve been a FEI member:  2 Years
 
FEI leadership involvement (past and present): Currently on the Board of Directors and Co-Chair of Programs
 
Tell us a little bit about your career, educational/professional background and how you got to where you are today.
 
I began my career at Ciena Corp., where I started as a junior accountant with an associate degree. During my 13 years at Ciena, I earned my Bachelor of Science in Accounting from UMUC, an MBA from Johns Hopkins Carey School of Business, became a CPA and was promoted 5 times. After Ciena, I spent 4 years at Merkle as a Senior Director of Accounting before leaving for my first executive role as Senior VP, Corporate Controller of Jensen Hughes.
 
In 2018 I joined Versant Health, one of the nation’s leading managed vision care companies, as Chief Accounting Officer where I am responsible for overseeing a team of more than 30 accounting professionals working to ensure GAAP and statutory compliance, safeguarding the company’s assets and driving financial initiatives and strategies.
 
What do you love most about working as a financial executive?
 
I love the ability to have an impact on the financial results of an organization and know that what I am doing every day is helping the company meet its goals. But I am really passionate about developing future finance executives. I enjoy the opportunity that I have to mentor and help others advance in their careers, as well as the platform that being a finance executive provides me to promote important issues such as diversity and inclusion. 
 
What personality traits and intangible qualities do you look for when recruiting new talent?
 
When I am recruiting for top talent, I look for candidates who demonstrate they are courageous and undeterred by fear of failure. These candidates tend to be employees who will always find a way to get things done regardless of any obstacles put in their path. I also like to see ambition and a desire to learn and grow.
 
How did you discover your passion for finance?
 
I have known that I wanted to be a finance executive since I was in the 10th grade, where I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to take my first accounting class. It was love at first debit! 
 
What are some of your personal hobbies outside of finance?
 
I am an avid yogi and when I am not focused on the numbers, you can usually find me on my yoga mat or hanging out in my aerial hammock. A few years ago, my passion for yoga led me to yoga teacher training and I now teach both aerial and mat yoga. I am grateful to share my love for yoga with others in hopes that it will be as life-changing for them as it has been for me. Yoga helps keep me balanced and allows me to lead from a calm center. It helps me be a better finance executive. How blessed I am to have two jobs that I love!!!