Thomas Means brings more than 15 years of financial expertise and organizational leadership to his new role, in which he will oversee all CSD’s financial operations, including the leadership and management of a team made up entirely of Deaf financial professionals. As Chief Financial Officer, Means plans to diversify CSD’s revenue streams and apply new strategies to critical areas such as budgeting systems, business acquisitions, and partnership integrations.”Thomas has been an instrumental collaborator and key contributor to CSD’s leadership,” said CSD CEO Chris Soukup. “I have full confidence he will be exceptional as our new Chief Financial Officer, guiding our team as we continue creating opportunities for Deaf and hard-of-hearing people to succeed.”
Before joining CSD in 2015, Means spent more than 10 years working in the public and private accounting industries, including as an auditor at Ernst & Young – one of the world’s “Big Four” accounting firms. Means brought these experiences to CSD and applied them right away, demonstrating exemplary leadership when implementing innovative technologies and software platforms to support the CSD national team’s transition to a remote workplace in 2016.
“While CSD is a non-profit organization with a broad mission, we are also an innovative social impact organization,” said Means. “The people at CSD are changemakers, innovators, and visionaries; we embrace technology as a strategic investment and an asset, not a cost.”
Means earned both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Business Administration from the University of Texas and is an active Certified Public Accountant (CPA) in the state, today. As is true with many of CSD’s employees, Means is a passionate advocate for the Deaf community. He served as Treasurer and Board Member of Deaf Action Center, a Texas-based nonprofit organization dedicated to providing Deaf and hard-of-hearing the means to ensure advancement through education, economic security, and good health.