Patricia Chibende, B.B.A.’14

Finance Aficionado

Finance and Operations Director, Opera Naples

Patricia Chibende has helped organizations of all types manage their finances while achieving their business goals and impacting their communities. From positions in corporate accountancy to nonprofit leadership, her ability to guide strategy and make a difference in the world goes far beyond crunching numbers. 

Chibende currently serves as finance and operations director for Opera Naples, a community-based, nonprofit arts organization. Prior to this role, she worked tirelessly on behalf of victims of domestic violence as a CFO for a local shelter.  

Chibende’s impressive resume includes stints at enterprises across the globe, including Greenleaf Capital, Stryker and Total Zambia—a subsidiary of TotalEnergies, the French multinational integrated oil and gas company. Equally impressive is her involvement in professional and volunteer organizations, including the CFO Leadership Council, Stryker’s Women’s Network, Kalamazoo Dream Center and the Michigan Association of CPAs, for which she received an Emerging Leaders Task Force Award. 

Favorite Quote: “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world’ – Nelson Mandela. I believe in this quote, and I know education was the tool that helped this little girl born in Zambia to be among some great, talented people making important company decisions.”