Welcome Home of Hope’s New Director of Finance

“Whatever your gifts are, you can make a mark that can’t be erased for individuals and families.”

This is the deeply-held belief of Eric Griffin. Eric has spent decades in corporate America with roles and responsibilities in accounting, financial reporting, audits, internal controls and more. A few years ago, he decided to combine his skills in the field of finance with his desire to help people become financially literate and stable. Now he’s taken a new position: Home of Hope’s director of finance.

“I started my own accounting firm in 2009 to provide financial and tax-related services to the community,” Eric shared. “I wanted to put myself out there as a resource, not only for taxes but also to help people with financial literacy — helping them understand finances better and understand how to plan for their success.” 

He soon realized that many in the community didn’t know how to manage their finances or prepare for taxes.

“In my first few years of doing taxes, there were a lot of what I call ‘April surprises’ where folks haven’t estimated their taxes appropriately or don’t understand how to estimate appropriately. Then in April, they owe thousands of dollars, and they don’t know why,” he said.

Eric identified this need and took the opportunity to share his knowledge in financial planning and stewardship with his clients. 

“I enjoy helping people identify what personal things they need to change to help bring about [financial] change,” he shared. “I was getting feedback from my clients saying, ‘Oh my gosh, Mr. Griffin, no one’s ever shown me that or no one’s helped me understand that or explained it to me like that.’”

His clients’ encouragement led him to found the Financial Empowerment Academy, a nonprofit that helps clients improve their financial literacy. As he connected with other nonprofits and community members, Eric met Maureen Kornowa, executive director of Home of Hope.

“I loved what she was doing at Home of Hope to help mothers transition through a tough spot in their lives,” he said.

Almost a year after his first connection with Maureen, the Director of Finance position opened up at Home of Hope. Maureen knew a perfect fit.

“I’m now responsible for overseeing Home of Hope’s finances,” Eric explained. “We’ve already started implementing more efficient financial processes to [further emphasize] compliance and transparency with all of our financial reporting.

“I want to do what I can to make sure that we have the tools, resources and finances to support growth and fill up all the homes [on the property.]”

In his new role, Eric has also seized the opportunity to directly encourage and equip mothers at Home of Hope through financial literacy. 

“I’m preparing a financial literacy curriculum for Home of Hope, and I’m developing KPIs [key performance indicators] and determining what success looks like for this program,” he explained.

“It’s really foundational for financial freedom to provide the essential skills and tools for mothers to manage their money, build their credit, reduce their debt and plan for the future once they transition out of Home of Hope.”

He hopes that his new curriculum builds upon the life-changing classes already offered.

“My goal and hope is that we’re not just providing information, we’re reviewing that information [with mothers] to a point where that light bulb comes on,” he said.

With almost 30 years of experience under his belt, Eric says he’s excited to share his gifts with mothers who need support and guidance for a financially successful future:

“I want to help women establish a financial goal and help them understand step-by-step how to reach that end goal.”