1229: Finding the True Cost of Connectivity | Sarah Taylor, CFO, MCNC

The opportunity looked promising. MCNC could extend its fiber-optic network into another part of North Carolina, potentially with some financial support from the state. But when CFO Sarah Taylor examined the proposed investment, the numbers told a different story.

“It just didn’t pencil,” Taylor recalls.

For MCNC, a nonprofit that operates a 5,000-mile fiber network serving schools, healthcare organizations, universities, and government agencies, such decisions carry particular weight. Expanding connectivity into underserved communities remains central to its mission. Yet Taylor believes that mission must coexist with a clearer understanding of investment returns and operating costs.

Her approach is helping change how MCNC evaluates opportunities. Rather than viewing outside funding as sufficient justification for a project, Taylor asks what the organization itself must contribute, which customers it expects to serve, and whether the investment makes financial sense.

That discipline extends to financial reporting. Taylor has shifted board presentations away from full financial statements toward deeper discussions of operating margin and days cash on hand. She’s also introduced five-year forecasting, emphasizing continuous margin improvement rather than rigid adherence to distant targets.

Her earlier experience bridging finance and business intelligence at MemorialCare helped shape this approach. There, she learned how data quality and cross-functional understanding could transform financial planning.

Now Taylor is preparing another substantial change: reimplementing NetSuite and overhauling MCNC’s chart of accounts to expose the true costs of running the network.

For Taylor, better financial visibility isn’t simply about producing better reports. It’s about making better decisions with the dollars MCNC has available.