I interviewed for the Controller role with the current CFO and an outside consultant. The consultant was personable and easy to talk to while we waited, which made the contrast that much sharper once the CFO joined, roughly 10-15 minutes late with no acknowledgment or apology, just a comment that he's "always late." From there, the interview was genuinely one of the strangest I've experienced in over a decade in accounting and finance. The CFO conducted the call standing, pacing in and out of frame with his Teams background blurred, at one point just leaning against a wall with his arms crossed staring out a window while asking questions. His opening question, delivered with an edge that felt more like a challenge than an actual inquiry, was something along the lines of why I thought I was even capable of running the accounting function. I am fine with this question, I've been asked it in more professional ways before. But the tone made it clear this wasn't about assessing fit, it was his attempt to establish dominance. When I mentioned process improvements I've driven using AI tools within NetSuite, he cut me off and said flatly they would never pay for an AI license. I hadn't asked them to, I was describing relevant experience, but he seemed to want a reason to dismiss it. By this point I'd already decided the role wasn't for me, but I used the remaining time to ask the kind of questions a Controller should be asking: their break-even enrollment for year one, and the structure of dividend terms for their private investors. He couldn't answer either question directly and instead fell back on vague financial language, twice telling me I shouldn't be concerned about it. For a Controller candidate being asked to manage the institution's finances, not having visibility into basic financial benchmarks isn't a small thing, it raised real doubts about how the finance function is actually being run. The personal moments weren't much better. When I asked what he does outside of work, he said he has no hobbies and is only interested in making money. He also answered a personal question on behalf of the consultant, which read as dismissive toward his own colleague. It also came up that both the CFO and the consultant have personal ties to the family that runs the school, which left me wondering how much of the leadership structure here is built around relationships rather than qualifications. Overall: disorganized, unprofessional, and not reflective of an organization with a firm grasp on its own finances. I'd think carefully before pursuing a leadership role here.