Gallup Diocese seeks new financial officer

By Elizabeth Hardin-Burrola
Gallup Independent
February 13, 2015

http://gallupindependent.com/

GALLUP – The financially beleaguered Diocese of Gallup is once again seeking applicants for its chief financial officer position.

The diocesan newsletter, The Voice of the Southwest, posted the job opening on its website and emailed notices of the opening Monday.

The Gallup Diocese, currently in mediation as part of its bankruptcy case, has not had a permanent, in-house CFO for more than 19 months. The previous CFO, Deacon James Hoy, resigned two months before Bishop James S. Wall announced the diocese would file a petition for Chapter 11 reorganization. The diocese then advertized Hoy’s position, but never hired a replacement.

Keegan, Linscott & Kenon, P.C., a Tucson accounting firm, subsequently took over management of the diocese’s finances. On Nov. 8, 2013, prior to filing its bankruptcy petition, the Gallup Diocese paid the accounting firm $75,000 for prepetition accounting and financial consulting services. Since then, the firm has billed the diocese $277,093 for services through Dec. 31, 2014.

According to statements filed by Christopher G. Linscott, one of the firm’s directors, Keegan, Linscott & Kenon is billing the diocese the following “heavily discounted” hourly rate structure: Partner/Director — $235, Manager — $130, Supervisor — $125, Senior — $100, Associate — $60, and Administrative — $35.

In the firm’s first application for payment, filed May 12, 2014, diocesan bankruptcy attorney Lori L. Winkelman stated that prior to the employment of Keegan, Linscott & Kenon, the Diocese of Gallup “did not have accounting software or systems that were appropriate for their operations” and the accounting firm had to provide “extensive training” to the diocese’s accounting staff.

The bulk of the billing hours were by John Gordon, a consulting manager with the accounting firm, who billed the diocese at the senior rate of $100 per hour for work and $92.50 per hour for travel. In a letter addressed to diocesan employees last month, Gordon was listed as the current CFO although the diocese does not list him as a chancery official on its website.

That first application for payment was the first and last time Keegan, Linscott & Kenon was required to submit a detailed breakdown of its professional fees and expenses to the U.S. Bankruptcy Court. Judge David T. Thuma has since agreed the accounting firm and the attorneys in the case need not submit detailed quarterly billing applications. As a result, the public no longer has access to that financial information.

The Diocese of Gallup is seeking CFO applicants with a bachelor’s degree in accounting, finance or a related field and a minimum of seven years financial management experience.

There is no closing date listed for the position.