Jessica Ryals

WORK HISTORY

EDUCATION

ABOUT JESSICA RYALS

I help colleges and universities make sense of the numbers — not just to “check the box,” but to make confident, strategic decisions that strengthen their financial future.I began my career in public accounting as a financial statement auditor at Deloitte. I later expanded my analytical lens as a Business Intelligence Analyst with NIB Health Funds in Australia, where I learned how powerful clear data and strong processes can be when leaders are making complex decisions.When I returned to the U.S, I moved into higher education as Assistant Controller at Kenyon College (OH). There, I automated financial and regulatory reporting, streamlined complex accounting processes, and experienced firsthand the unique challenges faced by small and mid-sized institutions.I then joined CFO Colleague, where I pioneered and built our GapSourcing line of service — designed to give institutions access to professional-level financial expertise (accounting and reporting work) even when hiring a full-time specialist isn’t feasible.Alongside Partner Jan Haas, I also launched our Administrative Services Assessment (ASA), the companion to our Marginal Revenue Analysis, which benchmarks the academic side of the house. The ASA focuses on non-academic operations and is grounded in our Function First approach:We start with the actual work and processes happening across an institution — not just the org chart. We look for duplicative effort, tighten operations around the core mission, and let go of work that no longer serves. At the same time, we focus on ensuring the right people and the right technological resources are in place to support that work. From there, structural, staffing, and procedural needs tend to surface naturally. This approach allows employees — with their deep institutional knowledge and day-to-day expertise — to help shape where the institution needs to go, rather than being disrupted or displaced by sweeping structural changes made in isolation.Today, I serve as Chief Executive Officer of CFO Colleague, where I focus on financial reporting excellence, process improvement, and helping institutions build sustainable operations without losing sight of the people who make the mission possible.I live in Mount Vernon, Ohio with my husband and four kids — and I’m always happy to talk higher ed finance, leadership, or how institutions can move from complexity to clarity.