• Rick Lundgren

    Fractional Strategy & Operations Executive

    20+ Years Experience | $147M + Business Value Delivered

  • Helping organizations turn stratey into measurable results

    I help organizations create clarity, governance, and execution discipline through strategic leadership, operational excellence, and enterprise transformation.

    About Me

    I help organizations align finance, technology, operations, and leadership to execute strategy successfully.

    Over the past two decades, I have helped organizations improve performance, modernize operations, strengthen governance, and successfully execute complex strategic initiatives across nonprofit and corporate environments.

    My experience sits at the intersection of business strategy and execution—helping leadership teams move from complexity to clarity, from competing priorities to aligned action, and from vision to measurable results.

    As a trusted advisor to executive leaders, I specialize in building organizational alignment, strengthening governance, improving operational effectiveness, and leading complex initiatives that drive sustainable business impact.

    Whether guiding strategic planning efforts, optimizing enterprise systems, establishing PMO capabilities, or leading transformational change, my focus remains the same: helping organizations achieve their objectives through disciplined execution and practical leadership.

    I believe successful organizations are built when strategy, operations, technology, and leadership work in alignment. My passion is helping leaders create the clarity and execution discipline needed to turn vision into sustainable results.

  • Organizations I Serve:

    • Mid-sized organizations
    • Nonprofits and Ministries
    • Founder-led businesses
    • Operational teams looking to scale
    • Organizations navigating growth or change
    • Executive leaders seeking operational clarity

    Why organizations engage me:

    • Executive-level experience without full-time overhead
    • Unique blend of finance, technology, operations, and governance experience
    • Proven record delivering measurable business value across nonprofit and corporate environments
    • Practical hands-on leadership focused on execution and results

  • Feedback and Reviews

    What do others say about their interactions with Rick?

    1

    Joe Wilkins (Chief Financial Officer) - 2025

    Rick has done a very good job putting structure behind the vision of what a Center of Excellence and PMO can be. He is very forward thinking and works diligently with his team to build a process that is simple, focused and gets things done. He puts actions behind the vision and does a very good job of being proactive, thinking around corners and holding himself and others to agreed upon goals and deadlines.

    2

    Don Murphy (Program Advisor) - 2023

    Labeling Rick as proactive is an understatement, he works like a chess master, seeing the whole board and is prepared for several moves beyond the next decision...through preparation for what's next and by keeping one or more steps ahead on delivering of strategic IT projects, Rick gave the senior leadership team the time and space to think.

     

    Rick excels in both delivering IT programs and enhancing process through continuous improvement enabling his leadership to better support the overall business strategy.

    3

    Chacko Verghese (SVP) - 2023

    Rick has taken the office of Chief of Staff to the next level through his program management skills, thinking beyond the ask, and his financial acumen. He consistently looks at his team and the overall organization for opportunities to improve efficiency and effectiveness.

    4

    Kristina Villines (Director) - 2023

    Rick is a man of character, consistency, and competency. He was a priceless resource on my journey to a Director role. He provided vision, leadership, and support by leveraging his entire skill set to aid me in resume design, interview coaching, and compensation negotiation. I felt both competent and confident throughout the process because Rick was in my corner. I am grateful for his character, his expertise and his work ethic on my behalf.

    5

    LeAnne Scallions (Director) - 2021

    Rick is a great addition to any project. With excellent communication skills, strong leadership, and solid decision making acumen it is easy to understand why he can make significant impacts on projects and team deliverables. He is cool under pressure, emphatic but firm when needed. He states the truth at the same time looking for creative ways to mitigate risks and solve problems.

    6

    Lisa Schooling (Sr Director) - 2020

    Rick was a critical resource providing valuable insight into my budget and ensured project accounting was accurate. He always does what he says he'll do and was extremely proactive. Rick alway made me feel my requests were important despite him supporting multiple Directors and VPs.

    7

    David Ramsbottom (Technical Principal) - 2018

    Rick provided invaluable leadership within the very complex and dynamic FedEx regulatory area of TradeTools. His Organizational skills, problem solving, and ability to simultaneously support many functional areas contributed to the overall success achieved.

    8

    Donna McDermott (Demand Management) - 2017

    Rick has a maturity about him that gives him quick credibility in business situations. He is the type of team member you wish for: dependable, smart, and a 'team player' with a point of view.

    9

    Brett Buckhold (Marketing Principal) - 2016

    Rick has been a dependable ally in helplng our Digital Access Marketing team achieve their goals. He consistenly challenges the project teams to think strategically and further than the issue(s) at hand.

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    Leadership Experience

    Director, Global Transformation (Finance System and Data Teams)

    Compassion International | 2024 – Present

    Leading enterprise transformation initiatives that align finance systems, data governance, and operational capabilities to improve organizational effectiveness, strengthen decision-making, and accelerate strategic execution. Building governance frameworks, modernization roadmaps, and delivery capabilities that enable sustainable growth and measurable business outcomes.

    • Established the Finance Transformation, Center of Excellence (CoE), creating governance, prioritization, and execution frameworks across finance, people, and technology initiaives.
    • Directed adoption of product managemnt processes and SAFe Agile methodologies, accelerating delivery and improving transparency across finance and data systems.
    • Lead enterprise-wide system assessments, identifying opportunities for platform consolidation, cost reduction, improved interoperability, and stronger ROIs.
    • Built enterprise data governance capabilities that strengthened accountability, regulatory alignment, and analytics maturity across the organization.
    • Designed capacity manageemnt and change manageemnt frameworks that improved team effectivementss while supporting sustainable organizational transformation.

    Chief of Staff, Engineering & IT FedEx Logistics | 2021 – 2024

    Served as strategic advisor to executive leadership, responsible for leading global operations, PMO governance, portfolio management, and enterprise transformation initiatives.

    • Delivered more than $3M in annualized cost savings through transformation initiatives and operational optimization.
    • Built and scaled a PMO supporting 37+ customers with portfolios ranging from $800k to $50M.
    • Directed global software development and enterprise operations teams supporting critcal logistics technology platforms.
    • Partnered with executive leadership to establish governance frameworks, portfolio prioritizations, and conduct strategic planning sessions.
    • Led multiple implementations exceeding $10M in investment whileimproving release structure and operational adoption.
    • Recieved multiple company recognitions for leadership contributions to workforce optimization and critical customer recovery initiatives.

    Program Director (Contract)

    Intellivo (Formerly Benefit Recovery Group) | 2020 – 2021

    Led strategic transformation efforts focused on revenue growth, clawbacks, operational performance, and portfolio governance within healthcare and education industries.

    • Delivered a 41% year-over-year increase in compensation recovery revenue, generating more than $1.2M in annual returns.
    • Implemented new payment processing capabilities that increased revenue uplift by 25% while reducing annual operating costs.
    • Established portfolio governance and performance management frameworks that improved visibility, accountability, and execution discipline.
    • Introduced KPI-driven management practices that strengthened operational performance and continue improvement efforts across teams.

    Manager, Technology and Planning

    Hilton Worldwide | 2018-2020

    Directed technology planning, financial management, portfolio governance, and operational strategy across enterprise technology initiatives supporting global hospitatlity operations.

    • Managed technology budgets and forecasts exceeding $25M annually across multiple business portfolios.
    • Led financial planning and roadmap execution for major enterprise initiatives supporting finance, audit, and compliance functions.
    • Improved vendor management and operational processes related to invoicing, billing, and accounts payable/receivable workflows.
    • Established organizational standards and governance processes that improved project consistency, transparency, and execution.
      Served as a key liaison between technology, finance, legal, and business stakeholders to align priorities and deliver strategic outcomes.

    Program Manager (IT APPLICATIONS & FINANCIAL OPERATIONS)

    FedEx Services | 2011- 2018

    Led enterprise PMO efforts, governance, and strategic execution for programs supporting global logistics and customs clearance operations..

    • Directed the $76M CASCADE customs modernization program, delivering more than $147M in combined revenue growth and cost savings.
    • Built enterprise portfolio management and governance processes that improved delivery performance, quality, and cross-functional alignment.
    • Served as a strategic advisor on technology investments, business cases, financial planning, and operational readiness.
    • Represented IT on the Enterprise Change Management Committee, helping align technology initiatives with organizational priorities.
    • Received multiple FedEx Bravo Zulu awards for leadership, financial stewardship, and operational excellence.

    IT Program Manager (Digital Fundraising and Technology Transformation)

    ALSAC/ St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital | Memphis, TN | 2009– 2011

    Led digital transformation initiatives supporting donor engagement, fundraising, operations, and technology modernization

    • Led implementation of digital fundraising technologies supporting campaigns responsible for generating approximately $80M in annual fundraising revenue.
    • Directed infrastructure modernization initiatives that improved scalability, operational reliability, and customer support capabilities.
    • Served as a key strategic partner across business and technology teams to align digital innovation with organizational objectives.
    • Received the ALSAC One Goal Award for outstanding leadership and execution during a flagship fundraising campaign.

    Professional Associations

    • Point Honduras, Board Member | 2024 - Present
    • Harvest Church, Elder | 2019 - Present
    • Harvest Church, Capital Improvements Committee | 2023 - Present
    • Jacob's Well Mission, Technology Lead | 2023 - 2025
    • FedEx Corporation, MSRCT Finance Board | 2016 - 2018
    • MTSU, Technology Advisory Board | 2004 - 2006

    Education & Training

    • Cornell University, Manging Virtual Teams Program - 2026
    • Leadership Accelerator Program (Leading Leaders) - 2023
    • FedEx Emerging Leaders Program - 2022
    • Certified Scrum Master, Scrum Alliance - 2014
    • Project Management Professional (PMP) certification - 2011
    • MBA, Finance, Middle TN State University - 2006
    • BBA, Computer Information Systems, Middle TN State University - 2005

  • Let's Connect

    Whether you're looking for strategic planning support, PMO leadership, operational improvements, or a fractional executive partner, I'd welcome a conversation to learn more about your goals and challenges.

    Schedule a complimentary 30-minute consultation.

    Calendly: https://calendly.com/the-rick-lundgren

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