New controller and director of finance hired at Cobo Center

Thom Connors, SMG regional vice president and general manager of Cobo Center, recently announced that Sharon Schuster has joined the Cobo Center staff as the new controller and director of finance. Schuster comes to Cobo from the City of St. Clair Shores, MI, where she served as controller since 1997.


During her tenure with the city, she managed the departments of accounting, accounts payable and payroll, and coordinated the annual audit efforts. She managed a city portfolio worth $30 million, and implemented a city-wide automated time and attendance system that increased the efficiency of the payroll process. She also oversaw the administration of two pension systems.

“Sharon has all of the experience and qualifications we were looking for in the director of finance position, but I knew she was the best candidate for the job when she told me that she wants to work in a position that contributes to the revival of the City of Detroit,” said Connors.

Schuster received her Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration from Wayne State University in Detroit, and passed first-sitting for her CPA. Moving to St. Clair Shores when she was hired as the city’s controller, she has lived there for fourteen years with her husband Tom, son Payton and daughter Paige.

Working with the year old Detroit Regional Convention Facility Authority (DRCFA) that developed a strategic plan to renovate and develop the Cobo Center as one of the nation’s leading meeting exhibition venues, Schuster will provide leadership and coaching to the finance team at Cobo. She will also manage Cobo Center’s financial and accounting policies, systems and processes; payroll systems and process; ongoing budgeting and financial modeling; and annual business plan. Financial management reporting, performance cost analysis, accounts payable and receivable, and client and vendor contracts will also be in her charge.