Submitted by Saint Martin’s Univeristy
Edward J. Barton is the new chief financial officer at Saint Martin’s University.
The Bothell resident, who joined the University during the spring 2016 semester, brings more than 20 years of accounting, financial services and executive management experience to Saint Martin’s and has managed a broad range of financial roles — from leading and managing accounting and finance teams, audit preparation, management and design, bookkeeping and tax preparation, risk management, underwriting and modeling functions of a large consumer credit debt buyer to equity structured finance commitments, as well as overseeing multiple audits for PCI DSS compliance and SAS 70 certification.
Before joining Saint Martin’s University, Barton worked with small and mid-sized businesses, providing consulting on financial operations and transactions structuring with CFO Selections in Bellevue, Washington. Prior to CFO Selections, Barton was president and chief operating officer of G2 Web Services. As the head of G2 Web Services, he was responsible for managing the performance of the company and corporate strategy. Barton oversaw all facets of the G2 business, including sales, marketing, finance, technology and the delivery of exemplary client service and support. Prior to becoming president, Barton led G2’s finance, legal and human resources teams as vice president of finance, where he worked on multi-national tax and accounting issues, advanced financial modeling, banking relationships, purchase accounting, and tax and compliance reporting.
Barton has also served as CFO and then as president and chief executive officer at B-Line, LLC, a leading purchaser of consumer bankrupt accounts. At B-Line, he oversaw the underwriting and purchase of more than $45 billion worth of bankruptcy receivables, grew their client base of top-tier U.S. banks by 65 percent and managed the development of an integrated, multivariate, risk-scoring model for underwriting loan portfolios. Additionally, as CFO, he led multiple rounds of private equity investment in the company and secured nearly $1 billion in structured financing with lenders around the globe.
As chief financial officer at private-equity backed Lone Star Steakhouse, he restructured corporate finances to successfully lead the company through a financial crisis, including multi-site sale-leaseback transactions, development and evaluation of profitability metrics for four-wall restaurant performance, and inventory controls and standard costing models.
Before moving to Seattle, he held a number of financial consulting roles, including multi-state tax preparation, professional services financial management, and project management and process design. Ed also served as an Army engineer officer, which sparked his passion for operational efficiency.
Ed earned a Juris Doctor from Northwestern California University, a Master in Business Administration from Syracuse University Martin Whitman School of Management, a Bachelor of Business Administration in finance & accounting from the University of Notre Dame, and a Master Certificate in Six Sigma from Villanova University. He is a Washington State licensed certified public accountant, a chartered financial analyst since 1998 and is a member of the chartered Financial Analyst Institute. Ed has also been a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants since 2001.
