North Georgia Conference Names Next Treasurer/CFO

Updated June 4

The North Georgia Conference Council of Finance & Administration is pleased to announce that, having received Annual Conference approval, Allison Berg will be named the next North Georgia Conference Treasurer and Chief Financial Officer, effective July 1, 2022. 

She will succeed Keith Cox who will retire June 30 after 21 years of outstanding service. 

Allison currently serves as Associate VP for Finance at Emory University. She has had a very impressive career trajectory in which she has held increasingly complex, significant financial leadership roles. In her 35-year career, she has served in four separate Emory organizations. Allison is a member of Oak Grove UMC and is an engaged, lifelong United Methodist. She is regarded as a difference-maker in both her professional and her volunteer work.

The CFO search committee of the Conference Council of Finance & Administration, chaired by Jeff Adams, with members Rev. Hal Jones, Rev. Alice Rogers, Rev. Bert Neal, and Jennifer Dorris, CPA, made the unanimous recommendation after a local and national search. The search committee partnered with BoardWalk Consulting, a national firm based in Atlanta, to conduct the search for CFO, reaching out to more than 200 potential candidates and sources. 

The committee sought a forward-looking leader with outstanding financial, collaboration, relationship, and consensus-building skills, passion for the UMC, and a sense of call to this role. They sought a Treasurer/CFO who will:

• Be a forward-looking, strategic, go-to leader.
• Be an exceptional builder of relationships and trust.
• Navigate and manage complexity.
• Lead and manage change at a time of uncertainty.
• Innovate to ensure a healthy, sustainable future for the Conference.

Over the course of multiple meetings and candidate interviews, the committee narrowed a strong field of candidates to three finalists. Comprehensive referencing and intensive finalist interviews have taken place in recent weeks.

Allison’s strategic and financial modeling skills have influenced major Emory decisions, including the acquisition of St. Joseph’s Hospital, the creation of the Emory isolation unit [critical for Ebola], and the CHOA partnership. Allison is known for building effective, collaborative teams and developing her staff. She helps team members realize their individual potential and deliver excellent results for the mission of the organization.

A person who reported to Allison for several years said Allison “has a lot of knowledge and a great personality. She’s a great person to work with, easy-going, and concerned for her staff. She interacts and gets to know us. Even when Allison was super busy, she always made time for me.” Allison has worked effectively, and built confidence, with all levels and styles of leadership at Emory, which is a large, complex, multi-faceted, and decentralized organization. Her ability to see the big picture, to assess trends and risks, to leverage data analytics -- and to deliver results -- has helped drive productivity and change.

Allison has volunteered extensively with The United Methodist Church since childhood. She has applied her leadership skills at Oak Grove UMC, where she has chaired the Board of Stewards, helped the church and pastor weather controversies, and been tapped to facilitate the transition to a one-board model.

Allison and her husband Bill have three adult children and a grandchild. She is excited about the Treasurer/CFO role and feels a strong sense of call to the North Georgia Conference.

She attended the Annual Conference in June, where members of the Annual Conference had the opportunity to officially approve the selection.