GCU News Bureau
Lori Browning, Grand Canyon University's Senior Vice President and Controller, was named Controller of the Year by the Arizona chapter of Finance Executives International (FEI) on Tuesday night.
Browning has been at GCU since 2008 and has played an integral role in the growth and development of the University. Her nomination for the award stated:
"Lori Browning believes that success isn’t the work of one person. Instead, it takes a village. It’s why upon joining GCU 10 years ago, Browning’s top priority was to recruit high-performing managers to oversee key functional areas of the department. She looked for leaders eager to expand their skills in much the same way that she has done during her 30-year accounting career.
"(She) is a smart, fair and impartial boss who is revered by her team. She has a gift not just for managing people but also for working alongside them. She is always willing to lend a listening ear, implement her team’s big ideas and find solutions to potential challenges. Importantly, she also has the backs of her employees and is effusive in recognizing their accomplishments. ...
"During 25 years as a manager, she learned that creating a positive, fun work environment in which you acknowledge team members for a job well done reaps benefits for the entire department. So does creating a work environment that is flexible but fair to all employees, with or without families. Her motto is that if you want the best people to work hard for you, then you have to make the workplace work for them.
"For GCU, Browning’s management style has earned some major dividends in the form of dedicated employees committed to the university’s mission and in producing top-notch work. It’s no surprise that under Browning’s leadership, GCU’s Accounting Department enjoys the lowest employee turnover (less than 10 percent) of any university department."
Browning's reaction:
"WOW! You never think you’re going to win an award for being a controller! I really love what I do, but in many ways what we do is all in the background and most don’t know what we do in accounting every day. So this really means a lot to me that (Chief Financial Officer) Dan Bachus nominated me and the FEI committee actually chose me and my department’s accomplishments to be recognized. It really validates our achievements. I feel honored to be part of Grand Canyon University’s success and I feel like I really found my purpose 10 years ago when I came here to head up the accounting team, and everyone on my team has really grown and stepped up in ways I don’t think we would have imagined. This was truly a team win."
The Arizona chapter of FEI has 220 members from a wide spectrum of companies. It was named "Most Outstanding Chapter" at the FEI Leadership Summit last year.
