Interview with Central Atlantic Region IOFM Chapter Leader Debra R. Richardson

This quarter, The Chapter Pulse spotlights Debra R. Richardson, MBA, CFE, APM, APPM, CPRS, President of the Central Atlantic IOFM Chapter. Debra is a member of IOFM’s AP Advisory Panel and serves as IOFM’s expert in the Vendor Master File Category. In addition, she is a frequent presenter for IOFM’s webinars and IOFM Conferences. 

As an accounts payable presenter, consultant, trainer, and Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE) with more than 25 years of experience in AP, AR, GL, and financial reporting, Debra also hosts a YouTube channel where she posts vendor master file tips every Tuesday and a long-running podcast: “Putting the AP in hAPpy” on Thursdays. 

In the following Q&A, Debra discusses how the Central Atlantic Chapter keeps members engaged with expert-led discussions on critical topics like cybersecurity, and how participation in IOFM chapters and conferences can lead to empowerment and career growth. 

Q. Can you share a little about your chapter –when it started, what area it covers, and how many members typically participate at each meeting? 

Our chapter started in 2022. Our first quarterly meeting was held on March 31, 2022. The Central Atlantic Chapter was launched as a consolidation of three active chapters, Baltimore/Washington DC, Nashville and Pittsburgh and two inactive chapters, the Atlanta and the North Carolina Chapters.  

The Central Atlantic Chapter meetings are held virtually. We serve both Accounts Payable and Accounts Receivable professionals and have 160 members. Each quarterly meeting averages between 25 and 50 attendees. 

Q. How have things changed since your first official chapter meeting in 2022? 

The only thing that has really changed is the leadership team, which has evolved over time. When we first launched, we started off with leader representatives from the active chapters that were folded into our new chapter. Today, our leaders are: 

• President: Debra R Richardson, MBA, CFE, APPM, APM, CPRS, Consultant, Debra R Richardson LLC 
• Vice President: Dawn Butler, APM, APPM, CPRS, Accounts Payable Manager, HHMI 
• Secretary: Abby Nass, Accounts Payable Specialist, HHMI 
• Membership Chair: Erica Saumenig, APS, APPS, CPRS, Senior Accounting Specialist, HHMI 

Q. How has your chapter helped members stay connected and engaged with the financial operations community? 

Our virtual chapter meetings give members the opportunity to learn about trending AP and AR topics, network with peers, and earn CEUs. While many of our members attend national IOFM conferences, others are unable to participate in conferences, so we do our best to offer a similar experience to learn and interact with their professional peers and benefit from our guest speakers and programs. 

At our meetings, we encourage our chapter members to turn on their cameras, interact with other attendees, and ask questions. 

We communicate with our members to keep them abreast of what’s coming up for each meeting. We also record each meeting and post the link in our LinkedIn group so that people can watch the recording after the meeting. That way, members can benefit from the program even if they are unable to attend. (They can also earn CEUs for listening to the recording.) 

Q. What topics or discussions at your meetings have been most valuable to your chapter members? 

One critical issue and hot topic for financial operations professionals has been fraud prevention. We’ve featured speakers from the National Cybersecurity Alliance to present at two of our meetings. The National Cybersecurity Alliance has sponsored Cybersecurity Awareness Month every October for the last 20 or more years.  

The first time the National Cybersecurity Alliance presented, they discussed the results of their annual study on employee behavior and cybersecurity. This attracted many new attendees to our meeting, including members from other chapters and people who were new to chapter meetings.  

At the second cybersecurity meeting, there were two speakers who involved members by playing a cybersecurity game that was a lot of fun and had great engagement. (Please don’t tell anyone, but I didn’t win the game!) 

Q. What advice would you give to someone considering joining an IOFM Chapter? 

Don’t overthink it. Just join! There is no cost to join, and you will benefit from presentations and meet fellow professionals you can learn from. Once you join, consider serving as a leader. It is a great way to gain leadership skills, earn even more CEUs per meeting, and drive meeting topic ideas that are of interest to you and your peers. 

Q. What’s the most valuable takeaway you’ve personally had from being part of an IOFM Chapter? 

I have learned a lot in my experience with multiple IOFM chapters. The most valuable takeaway as a leader is to listen to others. Whether it’s the other leaders or the members, their contributions are what drive the chapters to provide the content that members want to see. It’s not always easy getting everyone to speak up, but we keep trying and when they do speak, we listen. 

Q. What IOFM activities or resources do you recommend to your chapter membership and why? (for example: Certification, Conferences, etc.) 

We encourage chapter members to join the national IOFM organization, earn certifications, attend conferences, listen to webinars and podcasts, and, of course, attend chapter meetings. As a chapter, we requested and were given a discount code for new IOFM Memberships and e-learning programs, as well as a discount code for conference registrations. 

We also note at every meeting that IOFM has a no-cost Starter Membership available, which is a great introduction to IOFM.  

Q. What are your chapter’s goals for the future? 

Our goal is to drive more attendees to the meetings and to promote engagement. We encourage chapter members to share their ideas on trending topics and speakers for future meetings so that we can offer timely and relevant information.  

What I really love is that all IOFM chapters have been working together on these goals and sharing what tactics are driving success for their chapters. Together, we are learning from each other how to best serve our members. 

Q. If you could describe your chapter experience in one word, what would it be and why? 

Empowerment. We all have the power to change, influence and make something easier or understandable for the next person. Part of empowerment is providing support that helps others succeed. It is a service that we strive to provide for our members. 

Editor’s Note: For more information about Debra and the Chapter’s leadership team, please visit the Central Atlantic Region’s Chapter page on the IOFM website at: https://www.iofm.com/community/chapters/central-atlantic.