Bethany Dupree , CPA

About Bethany

With over a decade of progressive financial leadership experience, Bethany brings a proven track

record of operational transformation, systems optimization, and strategic financial management

across higher education and professional services.

Known for her disciplined approach to building scalable financial infrastructure, Bethany excels

at identifying operational inefficiencies, eliminating unnecessary complexity, and implementing

sustainable solutions that drive measurable results. Her leadership style emphasizes transparency,

accountability, and cross-functional collaboration to align financial strategy with organizational

priorities.

Prior to joining Spalding, Bethany served as Chief Financial Officer at Sullivan University,

where she led a comprehensive financial transformation that delivered exceptional results – 88%

cash flow improvement and the elimination of costly external consultant dependencies through

strategic systems redesign. She also partnered with academic leadership to reverse a decade-long

enrollment decline, achieving 11% growth – the first increase in ten years.

Earlier in her career, Bethany founded Smith CPA and Associates, a firm she built from the

ground up to serve business clients nationwide. Her entrepreneurial experience provided deep

expertise in multi-state compliance, business expansion, and building efficient financial

operations.

Bethany holds a Bachelor of Science in Accounting and a Master of Science in Accounting. She

is a Certified Public Accountant and is currently pursuing her Juris Doctor at Northern Kentucky

University Chase College of Law, with a focus on corporate law, governance, and compliance—

further enhancing her expertise at the intersection of finance and legal frameworks.

Her areas of expertise include financial strategy and planning, operational transformation,

regulatory compliance, system optimization, multi-state operations, and risk management.