After over a decade of executive leadership in K-12 transportation and finance, Ron Meyer joined CESO in 2022 as Chief Financial Officer and CESO Finance lead. In these roles, Ron brings a steady hand to guide the development of our CESO Finance operations and consulting model, while at the same time assuming responsibility for all financial functions, including accounting, audit, treasury, corporate finance and beyond.

Ron has been involved in finance and operations with public schools for over 16 years, most recently as the Director of Finance and Operations at Eastern Carver County Schools. Before that, he served as the Executive Director of Finance and Operations for Osseo Area Schools. Both of the roles included operating as the Chief Financial Officer for each of these organizations.

Meyer holds a Bachelor’s degree and Masters of Business Administration from Bethel University. He also volunteers on the Business Advisory Board for Bethel University, and is a past school board member for Eastern Carver County Schools.

Margo worked in school finance and operations in four districts (Edina, Prior Lake-Savage, Faribault and Owatonna) over her thirty-five-year career, retiring in 2019. Her experience includes public communication of all areas of school finance and operations and implementation of processes that contribute towards the long-term fiscal health of the district. Margo’s passion for her work was and continues to be the belief that through sound fiscal and operational management we positively impact students, staff, families, and communities. She is an advocate for equitable allocation of limited resources to ensure the successful education of all students.

Margo is the 2019 Minnesota Association of School Business Officials (MASBO) Outstanding Lifetime Contribution Award recipient and Past President of MASBO. She was a member of MASBO, the International Association of School Business Officials (ASBO), and Schoolfinances.com. Margo served in various leadership roles in MASBO, Schools for Equity in Education, Schoolfinances.com, and MN Department of Education. She was a MASBO mentor. She presented for Minnesota School Boards Association, MASBO, Schoolfinances.com, Ehler’s school finance workshops, and MN State University.

Lauren Syrup, CPA, joined the team in 2022 as a Finance Consultant after spending over a decade in finance and accounting roles, most recently as the Director of Finance in Orono Public Schools (MN). Her combination of big-picture strategic thinking and in-depth knowledge of K-12 finance operations has allowed her to become a powerful resource for school district teams.

Before her five-year run in Orono, Lauren spent four years in the private sector, serving in Accounting Manager and Senior Financial Accountant roles for a Minneapolis-based Fortune 100. Prior to that she spent three years as a Governmental Auditor for several Minnesota School Districts.

Lauren graduated from the University of Minnesota-Duluth in 2008 with a B.S. in Accounting and earned her MBA in 2019 from Hamline University (St. Paul). Lauren has been a licensed Certified Public Accountant since 2012.

With over 15 years experience in finance, the past eight in district or school-adjacent roles, Kris brings a compelling mix of public and private sector knowledge to our CESO team. In her role at CESO, Kris provides leadership and guidance to district clients, communicating and advocating for accounting best practices, assisting with MDE reporting, project management, and more.

Kris holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting with an emphasis in Information Systems from St. Cloud State University and is a member of the Minnesota Association of School Business Officials (MASBO).

Adrienne Mutzenberger joins CESO after over 13 years of public sector finance experience with Minneapolis-based accounting firm Malloy, Montague, Karnowski, Radosevich & Co. (MMKR). Adrienne specialized in public accounting and government audits, successfully guiding clients through the ever-changing complexities related to administering federal funds. Additionally, she has emerged as a leading resource on Federal Uniform Guidance and compliance with various federal financial programs for school districts and local governments.

As a Finance Consultant, Bonnie Eller brings years of experience with her - most recently from Willmar Public Schools as staff accountant, payroll manager, and then district accountant. In joining CESO, she’s also come full circle as she provided consulting financial services to clients during her time at CliftonLarsonAllen. Her unique perspective benefits districts of all sizes. Outside of work, Bonnie tends to a large vegetable garden and she and her husband take their camper to warmer places like Texas and Florida. If it’s anywhere near a beach, you can bet that Bonnie will be there!

Landon Libengood works within the CESO Finance division as a finance specialist, supporting each division with everything from AP/AR, reconciliations, billing, customer care and more. Landon joined CESO in 2019 as an intern, converting to full-time employment just before graduating from North Central University (MN) with a degree in accounting and finance. While he has always been fascinated by this industry, Landon loves the mission of CESO and feels privileged to be a part of an organization that takes pressure off of school teachers and staff around the country.

Katie pairs her passion for public education with private sector finance experience to serve as our Coordinator of Business Operations. At CESO, she loves working with a talented team to approach school districts with creativity and possibility to help students get more of what they need to thrive. Katie’s expertise lies in building efficient information systems, streamlining complex processes, and helping big-picture operations run smoothly. She earned her Bachelor’s of Arts degree from the University of St. Thomas in 2011 and is currently pursuing her Master’s in Education from University of Minnesota – Twin Cities.

Nik Ihlang serves the CESO Finance team as as director of internal finance, overseeing day-to-day finance operations for each of our CESO divisions. Before joining CESO in 2019, Nik worked for three years in tax information reporting after earning his Bachelor's in Business Administration from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire (2015). At CESO, Nik loves building and refining financial processes to deliver the best possible service to all CESO clients.

Bio coming soon!