Charles_Obert

Charles D. Obert CPA

SVP - Chief Accounting Officer, Forest City Enterprises, Inc.

Charles D. Obert is senior vice president, chief accounting officer and controller of Forest City Enterprises, Inc.

As the leader of the Company's enterprise-wide accounting team, he is responsible for all the consolidated financial reporting provided to the SEC and other external users of Forest City's financial information, as well as maintaining the internal control environment to comply with Sarbanes-Oxley Section 404. He is also responsible for all of the accounting for individual properties, joint ventures, service companies and other entities owned by Forest City.

Obert joined Forest City as assistant controller in 2004 and was promoted to controller in 2007. In these positions, he was in charge of corporate external reporting, internal reporting and corporate SBU reporting. He also helped lead the effort to streamline accounting processes and establish an enterprise-wide accounting team utilizing shared service principles. Prior to joining Forest City, Obert was a senior manager for Grant Thornton, LLP, an international public accounting firm. During his 16 years in public accounting, he was responsible for auditing and consulting services for public and large private manufacturing, distribution and real estate clients.

Obert is a member of the Board of Directors of Ballet in Cleveland, a non-profit organization promoting the performance of professional ballet in the Cleveland area. He is also a member of the Board of Directors of the Greater Cleveland Sports Commission (GCSC). Obert is currently a member of a local branch of the Rotary Club, an international community service organization. He previously served on the board of directors and audit committee of The Covenant Adolescent Chemical Dependency Treatment and Prevention Center, a non-profit organization specializing in serving troubled adolescents. Obert was on the board of directors of The Covenant in various positions for over 10 years.

Obert is a CPA and a member of the AICPA, OSCPA and SEC Professionals Group. He currently sits on the planning committee of the AICPA National Real Estate conference and has served on this committee since 2005. Obert is an active member in National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts (NAREIT) and is a frequent contributor to the Best Financial Practices Council of the organization.

Obert attended Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, where he majored in both accounting and finance, earning a bachelor's degree in business.


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