Donna Weston.

AuthorHeffes, Ellen M.
PositionBalanceSheet - The Scripps Research Institute

Donna Weston expected to grow up to be a homemaker, like her mother. Instead, she's CFO of a major academic research institution and balances her rewarding work with exhilarating outdoor sports and adventures--like competitive rowing. She's pictured with her 2002 gold-medal winning team at the U.S. Rowing Master's National Championships.

Title: Senior Vice President, CFO

Company/Business: The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI)/academic research. Spun-off in 1990 from Scripps Clinic and Research Foundation (formed in the 1920s), the non-profit organization conducts basic biomedical research and post-graduate education in the life sciences, particularly in the fields of molecular biology, cell biology and chemistry.

Born: Upland, Calif., Sept. 18, 1950

Education: AB, English Literature, San Diego State University, 1972; MBA, Accounting, San Diego State University, 1977; CPA license granted in 1979

Career: CPA with Deloitte & Touche, San Diego, 1977-84; TSRI, La Jolla, Calif., 1984 to present

FEI Chapter: San Diego

Leisure: "Rowing (crew), hiking, tennis (the sport I grew up playing), music (still taking lessons in classical piano). I'm very active in rowing; I'm on the competitive women's team and also serve as treasurer of the San Diego Rowing Club. In 2002, our boat won the Head of the Charles Regatta, for women over 50! In April, I competed in the San Diego Regatta Classic--referred to in San Diego as the 'biggest rowing event west of the Mississippi.'

"I train by rowing about three times a week, plus cross-training three other days. I ride my bike to work in good weather, do resistance training and am attempting to prove I'm better than the Stairmaster at the gym. But, I prefer outdoor activities."

Time Management: "There is never enough time--and more projects than anybody could have time to complete. I think I do a good job at managing my time, but sometimes, it just isn't possible.

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"Focus on the mission, a thick skin and a flat, matrix organizational structure helps. About focus: everyone here understands that the needs of the scientists are our priority. While maintaining appropriate controls and procedures, we want the intellectual capacity and imagination of our scientists to be the limiting factor. Not us. About working in a matrix organization: most of my colleagues have been here 25 years or more. We have a good idea of what needs to be done and who can do it best. This is an unstructured and efficient...

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