Vicki Albright Travis, MAOM
Vicki Albright Travis, MAOM is an experienced financial operations executive and organizational consultant with more than 20 years of progressive experience in banking, corporate finance, and nonprofit leadership. She began her career in financial services at JPMorgan Chase while still in college, where she developed a strong foundation in budgeting, financial analysis, workforce planning, and operational strategy. Over a 23-year career with the organization, she advanced into the role of Vice President, leading financial planning and analysis (FP&A), forecasting, and large-scale operational initiatives for multi-site business units within a Fortune 100 environment. Her expertise includes financial modeling, headcount management, internal controls, regulatory compliance, and executive-level reporting that supports strategic decision-making.
After two decades in corporate leadership, Vicki transitioned into entrepreneurship during a pivotal stage of life as part of the “sandwich generation,” balancing the care of both young children and aging parents. A deeply personal turning point came during her mother’s illness and passing, which prompted her to reassess her priorities and shift toward a more intentional and flexible career path. This transition allowed her to create a professional life that supports caregiving responsibilities while maintaining meaningful, high-impact work. Launching her consulting practice gave her the autonomy to structure her schedule, focus on purpose-driven engagements, and continue contributing her financial expertise without the constraints of a traditional corporate environment.
Today, Vicki provides financial operations and organizational consulting to nonprofit and education organizations, specializing in budgeting, forecasting, grants management, compliance, and internal controls. Her work ensures strong governance, audit readiness, and responsible stewardship of funding, with a focus on accuracy, transparency, and long-term sustainability. She is especially passionate about supporting organizations serving senior and geriatric populations as well as unhoused communities, helping them build sound financial systems that strengthen their mission impact. She is recognized for her strategic mindset, integrity, and ability to align financial discipline with compassionate, mission-focused leadership.
• Certified John Maxwell coach
• Licensed insurance agent
• Master's of Arts in Organizational Management from University of Phoenix
• Bachelor's degree in Consumer Affairs from Ohio State University
• Rising Star Award through Capital Choice for Insurance Sales
• Her Story nomination through Columbus Urban League (2026)
• Awards and honors from JPMorgan Chase
• Worldwide Women's Association
• Columbus Urban League
• Be Blessed 2 Ministries
• Be Blessed 2 Ministries - providing clothing and hot meals to unhoused population on first and third Saturdays (3 years)
What do you attribute your success to?
I had a male mentor who always told me to keep a schedule. Even though you're an entrepreneur, it's so easy to get distracted by other things and activities, but activity doesn't really mean productivity. You gotta make a schedule, and then with that schedule, you gotta make sure that you have whatever you set out to accomplish for that day written down, and that you stick to it. For me, it gives me a sense of accomplishment. I just write down 3 things that today I'm going to set out to do, and then I do those 3 things. If you have a long list, you start to get overwhelmed because it's just too much. When you're CEO of your own business and you're wearing multiple hats, this is very important to remember.
What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I received came from my first supervisor at JP Morgan, Pam Cradle. She got ahold of me when I was really young, and I was a knucklehead, I promise you. But she really shaped me as a professional and kind of got me together. She guided and directed me, taught me how to dress, how to talk to people, and how to coach people using what they call the sandwich method - two positives, and then you layer in the little negative feedback that you may have. I still keep in contact with her to this day. I also learned from a male mentor to keep a schedule and remember that activity doesn't really mean productivity.
What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I think they need to stay true to themselves and honor the call when you receive the call. Don't be fearful of change. Sometimes God tells you a long time ago that you're supposed to leave and do some things, and you're like, 'I'm not ready! No, not me!' But you get put in situations where you're very uncomfortable, and it's time to move on and use the foundational stuff you've learned to forge your own path forward. Also, you gotta make a schedule, and with that schedule, make sure you have whatever you set out to accomplish for that day written down, and stick to it. I just write down 3 things that today I'm going to set out to do, and then I do those 3 things. When you have a long list, you start to get overwhelmed because it's just too much. Remember that activity doesn't really mean productivity, and when you're CEO of your own business and you're wearing multiple hats, this is very important to remember.
What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The challenges I see right now have to do with funding because of our current leadership in the White House. With the cutbacks to SNAP and the National School Lunch Program, we need to feed the kids, and sometimes that's the only meal they get when they go to school. So I think that's very important. Then there are the English language learner programs. A lot of the schools that I support have English language learners, and they're cutting those programs, or they're very slow to pay the grants that fund those types of programs, and I think that's done on purpose. That's definitely a challenge when 98% of your population is English language learners.
What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
I think dependability and trustworthiness are most important to me. I'm always gonna be there and to support, even if it's outside of my wheelhouse, in any way that I can, if I have a passion and a desire and the heart for the work. Outside of work and service, soccer has always been one of my passions. I used to play until I was like 40 in an over-40 league we called ourselves Black and Blue. It was fun until your knees start to give out. Now I just watch my daughter - she plays soccer and she's a referee - and we go to the women's games and some of the professional men's games as well. I also enjoy concerts and vacations.
Locations
Private Company
Reynoldsburg, OH 43068