Laurie Styron was appointed Executive Director of CharityWatch in 2020 after more than sixteen years of commitment to the organization. She served as CharityWatch’s senior analyst through 2012, and thereafter as a program consultant through her nonprofit accounting and consulting practice. Laurie has logged more than 10,000 hours as a nonprofit financial analyst, including advising a wide range of media outlets on investigative pieces involving nonprofits, conducting research and financial analysis, and providing interviews for television and radio, as well as print/online publications. Laurie has been quoted in The Wall Street Journal, Kiplinger’s Personal Finance, MarketWatch, CBS MoneyWatch, Rolling Stone, NBC Nightly News, and by many other media outlets. She has also vetted charities for feature on Good Morning America, and has worked with 60 Minutesand many other news organizations on charity-related investigations.

Laurie’s interest in charity began in her youth, volunteering with her local church choir visiting nursing homes and care centers, as well as summers spent painting houses for the needy through Habitat for Humanity. Laurie spent the early part of her career in various accounting roles at for-profits before transitioning into her first nonprofit position managing multi-million dollar grants at a charity that provides housing and emergency assistance to the homeless. Later volunteer work has included advising arts organizations and other charities on nonprofit accounting and reporting requirements, governance best practices, and program management. Laurie is currently an Affiliate and Not-for-Profit Section member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. She also serves on the Not-For-Profit Organizations Committee and Ad Hoc Subcommittee of the Illinois CPA Society (April 2016 – March 2021 terms).http://www.charitywatch.org