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Corrie Johnson
Profile
Corrie Johnson started WVU thinking she would be an Aerospace Engineer, but transferred to Industrial Engineering because she thought it would be a better fit. She had a rough first year, but didn’t give up. “I dropped out of WVU four times,” Corrie says. “I didn’t have money for college, so I did co-ops.” This was before WVU had a co-op program, so Corrie needed support from the IE program to be reinstated each time.
After graduation, Corrie went to work for Hershey’s. While at Hershey’s, she took a leave of absence to join the Peace Corps. “The Peace Corps was my passion,” Corrie says. “I advise all students to say yes to opportunities that are exciting and challenging.”
After working for Hershey’s for 7 years, Corrie pursued a master’s in International Management from the Thunderbird School of Global Management in Glendale, AZ (now a part of Arizona State). “I liked that my master’s degree required a language skill,” she says. While Corrie knew French from her time in the Peace Corps, she chose to develop another language skill by learning Spanish.
Corrie’s career has transitioned from an operations focus to one of financial analysis for startup companies. “I’ve gone from larger, well-established companies to smaller businesses that are early in their existence. I build business systems and do executive coaching,” Corrie says.
In most cases, Corrie receives base income, bonuses, and equity in these assignments. Corrie serves on several boards as well.
Corrie is currently serving as a part-time financial executive for two start-ups. “I want to reduce my workload to have more time with my young daughter, so I’m trying to reduce my involvement. I’m thinking of doing a gap year while my daughter is young.”
Corrie is a strong believer in the value of having another language. My language skills in French and Spanish have been very valuable. I’m raising my daughter in a bilingual environment, and I think language skill will be a critical factor in deciding on career progression in almost any company.
Bio
Corrie Johnson
VP Finance
Experience
VP Finance at Mindflash
May 2017 – Present
CFO at Tectura
March 2017 – Present
Head of Finance at Elementum SCM
2014 – 2016 (3 years)
VP Finance and Administration at Skyfire
2011 – 2014 (4 years)
Director of Finance and Controller/Program Manager at Infinera
2006 – 2010 (5 years)
Director of Finance and Controller at Maxtor Corporation
2005 – 2006 (2 years)
Sr Financial Analyst; Commodity Manager at Quantum Corp
2001 – 2005 (5 years)
Operations Manager
2000 – 2000 (1 year)
Industrial Engr at The Hershey Company
1992 – 1999 (8 years)
Volunteer at Peace Corps
1995 – 1997 (3 years)
Education
Thunderbird School of Global Management
MIM, International Management
West Virginia University
BSIE, Industrial Engineering
