Jim Shay is executive vice president & chief financial officer and a corporate officer at Hallmark Cards, Inc (Hallmark). In this role, Shay is responsible for providing strategic financial leadership and directing and overseeing all financial activities for the company. He also works closely with the Hallmark CEO and executive team in strategic planning and business transformation. Shay is also responsible for Hallmark’s international greeting card businesses. Hallmark is a 100+ year old private company with strong brands and businesses built on enduring principles. Hallmark is well known for its global greeting card business, Gold Crown retail operations and successful media company that airs the Hallmark Channel and other networks. The Hallmark family of companies also includes Crayola, whose mission is focused on fostering creativity in children.

Shay has significant financial management and transaction experience for public and private companies. He joined Hallmark in 2015 after serving as chief financial officer of Great Plains Energy and Kansas City Power & Light (KCP&L). Prior to joining KCP&L, Shay served as CFO for Northern Power Systems. He also has served as CFO of General Electric’s Environmental Services in Kansas City and as CFO of BHA Group Holdings. Early in his career he gained public accounting experience in the areas of retail, manufacturing and engineering as an audit manager with KPMG Peat Marwick, and merger and acquisition experience as a managing director of Frontier Investment Banc Corp.

Shay is a member of the Board of Directors for Vermeer Corporation and serves as its audit committee chair. He is also past audit committee chair and board member of Ballantyne Strong, Inc. (NYSE:BTN) and past board member of Crown Media Family Networks (NASDAQ: CMFN).

He is also a member of the NACD Heartland Chapter (past chair & member of board of directors), Nelson Atkins Museum of Art finance committee and MRIGlobal board of trustees (past member of finance and audit committee). He is also a member of the Missouri Society of Certified Public Accountants.

Shay holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of Kansas and is currently a member of the business school’s Deans advisory board. He is a past member of the University of Kansas Hospital advancement board where he co-chaired a major fundraising initiative for the KU Cancer Center.