Mark Wasserman - Member Profile

As a CFO for the past 15 years, I have overseen all organizational financial functions, including financial reporting, external audit, tax compliance, payroll, billing, accounts payable and treasury. In addition, I have supervised other departments including, but not limited to, information technology, human resources, purchasing and physical plant/construction.

After earning my MBA, I joined a Big 4 accounting firm as an Auditor, focused on the financial services and healthcare sectors. The auditing experience proved invaluable and I then transferred to the consulting division where I served as a Litigation Consultant and Forensic Accountant for four years, assisting attorneys in assessing damages/lost profits and investigating fraud. In this challenging role, I gained firsthand experience drafting expert reports that held up to legal scrutiny. I also developed the ability to quickly acclimate to a wide range of industries and types of disputes, which has served me well in my career and instilled my confidence to reduce the learning curve for new initiatives and roles.

Always looking for new challenges and expanding my knowledge base, I then joined a leading, publicly-traded Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) that owned regional malls, shopping centers and multifamily apartments. Over a dozen years, I served in several pivotal roles, including VP – Development, VP – Asset Management, Assistant Treasurer and VP – Internal Audit. I am proud of numerous accomplishments at the REIT, which include leading the initial Sarbanes-Oxley Section 404 compliance efforts after establishing the Internal Audit Department and serving as the Finance Team Leader and Steering Committee Member for a $1.3 billion acquisition of another
publicly-traded REIT. On the operational side of the business, I directed a $100 million plus expansion/redevelopment of a regional mall with limited prior experience.

My next challenge was my first CFO role for the highly regarded, non-profit senior care organization, Abramson Center (Abramson). I was hired by Abramson as a CFO with no prior CFO experience and extremely limited healthcare experience. When I joined Abramson the organization was already experiencing financial issues due to the large losses from its core Medical Assistance business and that loss was growing annually as expenses continued to increase and revenues were stagnant. I am proud that during my ten-year tenure, Abramson built-out the senior living continuum of services into an $80 million business, making it a desirable acquisition target. Adept at building partnerships and the balance sheet, I was instrumental in leading successful negotiations with Main Line Health to lease and operate the beds in the Lankenau Medical Center’s Transitional Care Unit and also with Fresenius to jointly open a dialysis facility on the main campus. I also implemented systems and processes for each new line of business. I also negotiated the conversion of the interest rate swap from SIFMA to LIBOR and refinanced the direct placement bonds.

When Abramson sold its primary business lines to a for-profit operator, I moved on to a $40 million non-profit Continuing Care Retirement Center (CCRC). The CCRC had witnessed the departure of the CFO and Controller and significant cleanup was required. I relished serving in both roles for about two years before hiring and acclimating a Controller who I then prepared to assume the CFO role after my departure.

My most recent full-time role was serving as the CFO for the Fairmount Park Conservancy (FPC), the $40 million non-profit entity that champions the Philadelphia park system. FPC oversees the operations of the park system including construction, renovation, conservation and sustainability efforts.

In May of 2024, I left FPC to focus on the fulfilling role of providing litigation consulting, forensic accounting and valuation services, along with a wide array of CFO Advisory Services for clients. I made the decision to start my own advisory practice (AJW Phoenix Advisory LLC) because I am confident in my preparedness to assist clients with their financial needs after a successful and rewarding career working for a diverse range of organizations.