A Day In The Life Sample
By Sona Chandwani
Going the Distance for AIDS Services
As CFO for AIDS Project Los Angeles, Sona Chandwani is involved in financial planning for the National AIDS Marathon Training Program
AIDS Project Los Angeles (APLA), one of the largest nonprofit AIDS service organizations in the U.S., provides bilingual direct services, prevention education, and leadership on HIV/AIDS-related policy and legislation. As chief financial officer, I am responsible for all financial aspects of the agency, including oversight of the financial reporting process, fiscal management of our government contracts, and coordination of the annual budget. I'm also actively involved in the financial planning and analysis of our fund-raising efforts, such as our direct-marketing program and the National AIDS Marathon Training Program. I report directly to the agency's executive director, but I also work with the treasurer of our board of directors to ensure that the board is fully informed about the agency from a financial perspective. In addition to the financial aspect of my job, I also oversee the information technology department, and I work closely with outside counsel on legal matters as they arise.
Before attending the University of Texas McCombs School of Business, I worked in public accounting at Arthur Andersen, with a focus on the financial services industry. After about four years, it was clear I did not see myself staying for the long term at Andersen or in the accounting industry so I applied to business school with the idea that I would transition into corporate finance or equity research.
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| Sona Chandwani
Chief Financial Officer
AIDS Project Los Angeles
Class of 2002
University of Texas at Austin, McCombs School of Business |
When I graduated from business school, I knew I didn't want a job that involved sitting at a desk doing the same thing day in and day out, and that's certainly not the case at APLA. I initially expected my role to be a bit more limited to the financial side of things, but actually I really enjoy the fact that I'm involved in so many aspects of the agency, whether it's working with our development team on the AIDS Walk or with our client services department on the licensing of our dental clinic or meeting with the board treasurer on the budget.
7:15 a.m. Alarm goes off—is it time already?! I make a cup a coffee, turn on CNBC to see what's happened in the world and the markets, and scroll through my BlackBerry to check my appointments for the day and clear e-mails.
8:30 a.m. Hit the freeway. L.A. traffic definitely lives up to its reputation. My mind drifts between the morning DJs and what the day ahead holds.
9:15 a.m. I'm not a morning person, so I start the day by reviewing e-mails, voice mail, and skimming the headlines from the
Los Angeles Times and
The New York Times.
9:30 a.m. One of our program managers calls with questions on how to structure the budget for his county contract...
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