Elizabeth Hester Brings the Financial Picture Together at NCInnovation
By Michelle Fiscus, Senior VP & Chief Communications Officer
Elizabeth Hester enjoys a good accounting puzzle. The work involves understanding how the pieces fit together, resolving questions and producing financial statements that accurately reflect an organization’s activities. At NCInnovation, that attention to detail supports the financial operations behind a mission that drew her back to the possibilities for her home state.
With many years of accounting experience across organizations, including nonprofits, Hester saw an opportunity to contribute her skills to work with a practical purpose.
“I was intrigued by the practical focus of the mission – helping to bridge the gap between technology developed in an academic setting and the real-world application of that knowledge.”
As NCI’s Senior Accountant, Hester focuses on accounting operations and reporting. Her responsibilities include month-end close, account reconciliations, invoice and expense processing, and financial statement preparation. Together, those activities help provide the reliable financial information colleagues need to understand the organization’s results and make decisions.
The monthly close is an especially meaningful part of the work for her. It is the point when individual pieces of financial activity come together into a broader picture.
“I especially enjoy taking ownership of the monthly close and financial reporting processes and seeing all the pieces come together.”
That satisfaction reflects how Hester approaches accounting. She enjoys the nuts and bolts of full-cycle accounting and reporting, with a focus on best practices. She also looks for opportunities to improve the processes that produce those reports.
“I’ve always enjoyed a good accounting puzzle and finding ways to improve processes, and I find it rewarding to have the opportunity to do both in my role.”
For Hester, understanding the numbers also requires understanding how information moves through an organization. Accounting involves coordination, analysis and problem-solving, with attention to how different activities fit together. Because it touches many areas of an organization, clear communication helps keep information flowing and processes working efficiently.
She works most closely with NCI’s finance team and describes strong partnerships in her role as a shared commitment to high-quality work. That collaboration supports both the daily responsibilities of accounting and the continuing work of establishing and scaling processes as NCI grows.
Her role is primarily behind the scenes. The connection to researchers, universities and partners comes through supporting the teams who work with them directly. Reliable accounting and reporting help those colleagues carry out their responsibilities with dependable financial information and support.
“My work helps provide the financial foundation that supports NCInnovation’s broader mission. Accurate accounting and reporting are essential to good stewardship and providing reliable information for decision-making.”
That foundation is how Hester connects her professional experience to the opportunity that attracted her to NCI. She is excited by the potential for research across North Carolina to become new technologies that benefit communities and contribute to the state’s economy. Her contribution is to help the organization’s financial operations run smoothly as others work to advance those discoveries.
Looking ahead, she hopes NCI’s work will offer a model that others can learn from.
“I hope NCInnovation will be known as a pioneer, creating a successful model that other states and organizations can follow in helping to move research into real-world application.”
For Hester, supporting that ambition begins with the work in front of her: bringing the pieces together, improving processes and helping ensure that the financial picture is accurate and reliable.