Smythe Kannapell
Director of Finance
Smythe is a DC CPA who started her career in investment banking and then discovered, during a grad school internship, a passion for nonprofit accounting and strategic financial planning. She feels that every nonprofit deserves as good if not better financial modeling, management, and analysis as top for-profit corporations. Smythe has a Master’s of Science in Finance and Accounting from the University of Maryland Global Campus and a Bachelors of Public Administration with an emphasis in Demographic Statistics from the University of Mississippi. Smythe brings to Generation Hope over 30 years of financial experience and a particular expertise in working with small- to medium-size nonprofits to implement solid financial and accounting practices, improve reporting and transparency, and help organizations to use data in a meaningful manner to meet their programming goals.
Smythe has worked with non-profits that run the gamut of religious organizations to international NGOs focusing on sustainable economic development with one firm rule — she will not work for an organization whose mission she does not believe in. She is excited to join the mission of Generation Hope to help forward and grow their mission. Outside of work Smythe enjoys reading financial thrillers and non-fiction, creating esoteric excel spreadsheets to run her life, SEC football and boxing.
Quote:
“If my mind can conceive it, and my heart can believe it — then I CAN achieve it.” — Cassius Clay / Muhammad Ali
Why I chose this quote:
I have always had an incredible drive backed up by serious self-doubt and imposter syndrome. When I went back to school at the age of 40 to pursue a masters in Accounting and sit for the CPA exam, there were many days that I felt like “I cannot do this.” This quote always reminded me that if you work hard enough and want something bad enough, you “can do it.”