About Michael Ward

Michael assists nonprofit organizations with CFO-level support, working closely with a client's Chief Executive Officer, leadership team and Board of Directors in understanding and planning the financial aspects of the organization and provides technical guidance and support to accounting and finance team members as well as oversight of the accounting functions.  He draws on all his experiences spanning almost 40 years in delivering the following services to clients:

• Fractional CFO-level support
• Accounting systems design and implementation 
• Development and refinement of financial reporting
• Development of accounting policies and procedures
• Design and implementation of cost accounting structures
• Audit preparation and coordination
• Staff training and development
• Indirect cost rate negotiation
• Planning and budgeting 

Michael can evaluate and upgrade current financial and management reports, develop and refine analyses used by management to monitor performance, and address reporting gaps.  He can assist in developing and refining information for the Board as well as provide Board education on key concepts and compliance points.  Michael can also help with audit preparation and coordination as well as remediation of findings following annual audits.

Michael brings 40 years of broad business experience, including strategy development, financial management, and program planning and implementation. He has extensive experience in cross-functional project teams working with program, IT, marketing and finance professionals. He also has a solid grounding in accounting and financial issues, working closely with CEOs and Boards of Directors on business planning and strategy to drive overall performance.  He is a Certified Public Accountant licensed in the State of Virginia. 

While Michael was involved in nonprofit accounting as early as the mid-1980s, his substantive nonprofit experience began when served as the Chief Financial Officer of the Lt. Joseph P. Kennedy Institute from 1998 to 2001 and then as its President and Chief Executive Officer from 2001 to 2004.  From that point forward, he has provided professional services to nonprofit organizations and small to medium sized businesses through his work with three accounting firms, culminating in eight years as a Partner/Principal with BDO USA.  

Prior to his work with Kennedy Institute, he worked in the audit practices of two Big-8 accounting firms in the 1980s and early 1990s, served as a Controller for two privately owned companies. and spent over five years in strategic finance roles in the Consumer Markets division of MCI Telecommunications, working on airline partnerships, an internal loyalty program, 1-800 MUSIC NOW, 1-800-COLLECT, and 10-10-321.  

Michael also has more than 20 years of experience serving on nonprofit Boards of Directors, including most recently four years with Children's National Medical Center (and continuing); over twenty years with entities in the HSC Health System - HSC Foundation, HSC Pediatric Center and Health Services for Children with Special Needs; thirteen years with National Children's Center; and three years with Mentors Inc.  He was a member of the National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD) through his work with National Children's Center and held NACD's Governance Fellow designation for four years from 2014-2018. 

Michael served as Chair of the HSC Foundation for five years, leading the board through the integration of the HSC entities with Children's National Medical Center.  He also served as Chair three times on the National Children's Center Board, during which he led a CEO search, guided substantial updates to the by-laws, and expanded the board to have members from outside of the Washington, D.C., area.