Forty Under 40: Billye Hawkins Veteto

Billye Hawkins Veteto is a people person.

Luckily, she has a fitting opportunity with the Razorback Foundation, the nonprofit that has about 14,000 active donors and serves as the independent fundraising arm of the University of Arkansas athletics department.

In addition to the many financial responsibilities consistent with that of a CFO, Veteto regularly gets the chance to interact with the organization’s supporters and be involved in fundraising events.

“I love it,” she said. “If I were behind a desk all day doing only accounting functions, I’d probably get bored.”

Veteto graduated from the UA in 1999 with degrees in accounting and marketing. She worked for multiple public accounting firms before joining the UA Foundation — one of her clients — as a staff accountant in August 2005.

She was later recruited to the Razorback Foundation in November 2011, where she has helped implement a new investment policy and accounting system, and restructured the donor management system.

“We’ve worked really hard to provide our members with the best customer service possible,” she said

Veteto, a Farmington native, is a past board member of several organizations including United Way of Northwest Arkansas, and she currently serves on the executive committee of Youth Bridge, where she is a longtime supporter.

Married with two sons, Veteto says traveling is a favorite hobby, especially to New York City, a destination she has visited more than 20 times.