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Forty-seven of the region’s top corporate finance leaders are set to be recognized in D CEO’s 2026 Financial Executive Awards. Now in its 14th year, the program is presented in partnership with Financial Executives International, Association for Corporate Growth Dallas-Fort Worth, and TXCPA-Dallas.
All 47 honorees will be recognized in the May issue of D CEO magazine and online; winners in various categories will be revealed at an exclusive awards event this spring.
This year, Willie Hornbeger, partner at Jackson Walker, will be honored with the Constantine “Connie” Konstans Excellence in Corporate Governance Award. It’s named for the late professor of accounting and information management at The University of Texas at Dallas who was D CEO’s first recipient of the honor and a corporate governance pioneer.
An exceptionally active civic leader, Hornberger is a partner at Jackson Walker, where he focuses on tax, transactional, international, and corporate law. He serves as a member of the American Bar Association, sits on the board of directors of the Dallas CPA Society, and has been named to Woodward/White’s Best Lawyers in America for more than 20 consecutive years.
Here’s the full list of finalists for 2026:
Emerging Leaders in Finance Award
Jay Bass, RISE Family Office and RISE Capital Partners
Ryan Brewer, Compass Datacenters
Lane Kasselman, Blockchain.com
Andrew Kerai, Capital Ideas
Outstanding CFO – Large Company
Vivek Gandhi, Bioworld Merchandising
Kara McKinney, Envoy Air
Sunday Morgan, First Command Financial Services
Jeff Simmons, JSX
Kent Smith, Shaddock Homes
Jeff Vines, RailPros
Outstanding CFO – Mega Company
Ryan Dudley, Pogue Construction
Owen Morris, CyrusOne
Timo Nentwich, Siemens Digital Industries Software
Chris Poinsatte, DFW Airport
Matt Scurlock, Texas Capital
Outstanding CFO – Midsize Company
Omar Choucair, Trintech
Jessica Greiner, Talley Riggins Construction Group
Sebastian Peluffo, Resolve Tech Solutions
Brandon Standifird, U.S. Energy Development Corporation
Outstanding CFO – Nonprofit Organization
Leslie Berlin, Uplift Education
Bill Garza, North Texas Food Bank
Torrey Littleton, The Dallas Foundation
Rick McWhorter, Texas Health Resources
Kris Thomas, Communities Foundation of Texas
Outstanding CFO – Small Company
Chris Doty, Siepe
John Gronen, Yooz
Lisa Young, FBFK Law
Dennis Zanatta, Genius Road
Outstanding Chief Accounting Officer, Controller, or Treasurer
Michelle Almeida, Compass Datacenters
Susan Himes, Whitley Penn
Emily Howell, Copart
Myranda Miller, Cook Children’s
Dimple Patel, Vandelay Hospitality Group
Outstanding FP&A
Andrew Brownfield, Integrity
Quyen Moreland, Digital Realty
Candice Nicholson, Siemens Digital Industries Software
Rich Peterson, Texas Capital
Outstanding Internal Auditor
Anna Hsu, Toyota Financial Services
Outstanding Public Accountant / Consultant
Jake Baine, Whitley Penn
Keith Davidson, CLA
Michael Nesta, KPMG
Brian Wing, Lawrence J. Beardsley CPA
Outstanding Public Service
Jim Farrell, Synctive
Courtney Lewis, First Bank Texas
Kip Sowden, RREAF Holdings
Tiska Thomas, Dallas College
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