Erica Horton, director of finance for Milwaukee-based Next Door Foundation, came to the organization in 2015 with a desire to grow her career at an organization with a complex funding model, and to give back to the community where she grew up, according to Cristina Crogan, vice president of development and communications at Next Door.
Next Door provides early childhood education programs to more than 1,300 Milwaukee children from under-resourced families.
Horton’s responsibilities include: supervising daily financial operations, overseeing preparation of a $25+ million budget, leading the annual independent audit, and developing/maintaining solid internal controls to ensure fiscal compliance.
As a result of her leadership, processes for accounts payable, payroll and benefits have been improved. Plus, Next Door has a new web-based platform to improve accounting system functionality and a new training program featuring a peer review system to maintain accuracy in data entry, Crogan said.
Horton’s recent volunteer work includes serving as a money coach with SecureFutures, a financial mentoring program for high school students. She and her family also support the international organization Samaritan’s Purse and its Operation Christmas Child program.Â
