Executive Team

With over a century of hands-on experience in finance and accounting, vcfo's executive team understands the needs of companies large and small and is committed to addressing clients' needs at every stage of development and growth. Meet the team:

Ellen Wood
President and CEO

Ellen co-founded vcfo in 1996 and serves as its President and CEO. Under Ellen's leadership, the company has opened offices in Dallas, Denver and Seattle and expanded its services to encompass new lines of business.

Prior to founding vcfo, Ellen served as Executive Vice President and CFO at Capital Network System, Inc., a privately held international telecommunications company based in Austin, Texas. Earlier in her career she co-founded a telecommunications business in Austin, and served as the Senior Financial Officer for two residential home builders, Hometown Builders and Block Watne Texas, Inc. In addition to her corporate responsibilities, Ellen enjoyed a dual role at vcfo in the early years, with field responsibilities as the vcfo CFO for clients such as Motive, Agere, Digital Motorworks, Ventix and Troux.

An active member of the Austin community, Ellen serves as a member of the Executive Board of the Boy Scouts Capital Area Council, as a Board member and Treasurer for The Entrepreneurs Foundation, on the Audit Committee for Seton Hospital and as a Board member of the Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce. She previously served as a Board member and Statewide President of Technology Entrepreneurs Foundation (Texchange).

Ellen received a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from the University of Texas with majors in Finance and Accounting and is a Texas CPA.

Scott Killingsworth
Chief Operating Officer

Scott joined vcfo in 2000 and serves as its Chief Operating Officer. In his role, Scott is responsible for managing the day-to-day activities of vcfo and each of its offices, leading the firm’s geographic expansion strategy, and overseeing the design, operation, and improvement of the systems that support the firm's services.

Prior to joining vcfo, Scott was the CFO and VP of Operations for MYTECH Corporation where he was responsible for Accounting and Finance, IT operations and the evaluation of business plans and acquisition proposals. Earlier in his career, Scott founded Balcones Technologies, and worked as a Controller at High End Systems in Austin, Texas. Scott is active in the Town & Country Optimists Club and is a YMCA volunteer.

Scott received a Bachelor of Business Administration Degree in Accounting from Stephen F. Austin State University and is a Texas CPA.

Darrell Tesmer
Chief Compliance Officer

Darrell joined vcfo in 1997 and serves as the Chief Compliance Officer. In his role, Darrell is responsible for analysis of new corporate opportunities, corporate tax strategies and planning and overseeing risk management. Previously, Darrell served as vcfo's VP of Finance and Administration.

Prior to vcfo, Darrell was the Finance Manager of Amnex, Inc. where he assisted in the integration and transition of acquired company Capital Network System, Inc. Earlier in his career, Darrell was a Financial Analyst and Staff Accountant for The Clorox Company in Oakland, CA.

Darrell received a Bachelor of Business Administration Degree in Finance and Honors Business and a Master of Business Administration Degree from the University of Texas at Austin.

Gwen Williams
VP Finance, Corporate Controller and Austin Practice Manager

 Gwen joined vcfo in 2003 and serves as the Vice President Finance, Corporate Controller and Austin Practice Manager. Gwen is responsible for overseeing all internal accounting activities for the company and providing guidance and support corporate wide.

Previously, Gwen served as an Associate at vcfo. Prior to joining the company, Gwen was the Controller at Texas Wind Power. She also served as Product Manager for Works Inc., Accounting Manager for Trilogy Software, Assistant Controller for Austin Regional Clinic and was an Auditor for Ernst & Young.

Gwen received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Kinesiology, a Master of Business Administration Degree in Finance, and a Master of Public Accounting Degree from the University of Texas at Austin. Gwen is a Texas CPA.

Corey Blahuta
Managing Director Austin

Corey joined vcfo in 1999 and serves as Managing Director Austin. In his role, Corey is responsible for building the team and leading the overall management of vcfo’s operations in the Austin office. Throughout his career with vcfo, Corey has had the opportunity to work with over 50 companies in such industries as enterprise software, energy, life sciences, financial services, semiconductor and telecommunications. During 2004 and early 2005, Corey served as the VP of Finance for CoVi Technologies, Inc.

Prior to joining vcfo, Corey was with PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC) for seven years, serving the final two and a half years as an Audit Manager. While at PWC, Corey worked with companies in Houston and Austin markets ranging from Fortune 500 companies to technology startups.

Corey serves as the Past President of Reading is Fundamental of Austin, Treasurer of the Austin Technology Council and Board Member of the Austin Chapter of Texchange. He and his family were the March of Dimes-Capital Area Ambassador Family for 2004.

Corey received a Bachelor of Business Administration Degree in Accounting and a Master of Business Administration Degree from Baylor University. Corey is a Texas CPA.

Dan Hudspeth
Managing Director Colorado

Dan Hudspeth is vcfo’s Managing Director, Colorado.  Dan has over 20 years of senior financial executive experience in financial planning and operational execution, corporate governance, strategic planning, Initial Public Offerings, SEC reporting and Sarbanes-Oxley Act Compliance.  Dan’s industry experience includes technology, software, manufacturing, life sciences, retail and telecommunications.

Dan has significant experience building operational and financial infrastructure for companies ranging in size from pre-revenue to over $50M in revenues.  His experience also includes leading all aspects of the IPO process for three companies, raising over $122 million in public capital, participating in six separate private equity financings raising over $54 million in private capital, and leading several merger and acquisition transactions on both the sell-side and buy-side.

Prior to joining vcfo, Dan was the CFO and VP of Finance, Treasurer and Corporate Secretary for Displaytech, Inc., where he was recruited to lead the company through their filing of an S-1 registration with the SEC to raise $57 million.  Previously, Dan was the CFO for Genomica Corporation, where he led all aspects of an IPO resulting in raising over $120 million.  Dan began his career with Deloitte & Touche in their Middle Market and Emerging Business Services groups.

Dan is a CPA and he received his BSBA in Accounting at Colorado State University.

Jerry McGuire
Managing Director Washington

Jerry McGuire joined vcfo in 2007 as Managing Director Washington. Jerry is responsible for developing the local vision, building the team, providing client support and guidance, as well as overall management of vcfo's West Coast office.

Jerry has assisted in the success of more than 30 business enterprises over the course of his career. From 1990 to 2006, Jerry served as president of CFO Pro Tem, a financial services consulting firm he founded. During that time, Jerry helped guide the success of a number of technology companies in the Northwest, including: Ceptyr Inc., Darwin Molecular, Activate.net, Forte Design Systems, Inc., and others. Prior to CFO Pro Tem, Jerry was the vice president of SeaMed Corp. and a consultant with Deloitte Haskins and Sells.

An active member of the Seattle community, Jerry contributes time to organizations including the Washington Software Association and the Northwest Entrepreneur Network.

Jerry has a Master in Business Administration Degree from the University of Southern California and is a Washington CPA.

Bill Zollner
Managing Director Dallas

Bill Zollner is the Managing Director of the vcfo Dallas office, responsible for expanding vcfo's regional market presence, management of the Dallas vcfo team, and continued delivery of top quality services to clients. Bill's experience spans over 30 years, serving as the CFO, COO, or Division President for several companies (such as Sterling Software, Serena Software, and Selecta Corp) ranging from software and telecom systems to defense, wholesale and manufacturing of building materials, retail food and beverage, and enterprise content development companies.

He has worked with companies ranging from start-up to publicly owned companies. Bill led three turnarounds, leading to a successful IPO or sale of the business. He has particular expertise in strategic planning, restructuring, international management, human resource management, and channel management.

Bill attained a CPA at Ernst & Young in California, holds a B.S. in business administration with a concentration in investment analysis from California State Polytechnic University and has completed all of the course work for an M.S. in accounting from California State University at Sacramento.

Greg Garrison
President vrecruiting

Greg Garrison joined vcfo in 2007 and serves as the President of vrecruiting. Greg is responsible for expanding recruiting solutions nationally and provides senior sales, operational and strategic direction. He brings over 17 years of experience in recruiting, outsourcing, and off-shoring.

Prior to joining vcfo, Greg founded and served as the CEO/President of Startup Staffing, Inc. which was acquired by vcfo in 2007. Startup Staffing led innovative recruitment efforts for venture-funded startups and Fortune 100 clients alike. Greg has also served as the SVP of Sales for The Empower Network and has recruited for such companies as Dell, AMD, HotData and Kurion.

As a recruiting industry leader, Greg has been referenced in national publications including SmartMoney Magazine, Inc. Magazine, The New York Times, the New York Post and Yahoo! News. Active in the Austin community, Greg conducts job search seminars at The University of Texas and leads an Austin Community Job Search Group.

Greg received a B.S. in corporate communications from The University of Texas at Austin.