A lifetime firm: From intern to champion to manager

My trajectory to RSM US LLP (RSM) started during my time at the University of Houston-Downtown (UHD), studying for my undergraduate degree in business with a focus on accounting. I chose to attend UHD because they offered many night and online classes, which worked well with my schedule as a full-time employee and mom who managed her home independently. The one downfall was that internship opportunities were harder to come by because UHD was a smaller campus, and recruiters typically spent most of their time at the main campus.

To remedy this, I joined professional organizations like the Professional Accounting Society to infuse myself into accounting. Upon entering the society, I joined their board as secretary. During my time on the committee, I made it a goal to find recruiting opportunities for the group. We actively contacted accounting firms and invited them to engage with the society, one of which was RSM. RSM extended an invitation for 10 students to join them for dinner. I was fortunate enough to be selected to attend and enjoyed the conversation so much that I applied to RSM's internship program right away.

After my internship, I became an associate with RSM, and they extended the role of the tax process and technology (TP&T) champion to me. This role, normally given to supervisors and above, allowed me to grow as a professional and a leader. It is unique to tax because we use many different technologies to do our jobs effectively. The TP&T champion understands the various software and processes and trains others on how to use the tools efficiently. With technology changing rapidly, my plate was full, making it challenging to work full-time and study for the CPA exam. So I made the difficult decision to look outside the firm for another role. I was upset to leave because I enjoyed my position, I loved the people I worked with, and the firm's culture. I worked for a year and a half at a smaller firm with fewer responsibilities, pressure and hours and obtained my CPA license in 2020.

During the summer of 2021, Anna McKinney, who I interned with at RSM, reached out to me and shared the description of the national readiness and adoption manager position. She thought it would be a great fit for me because of my experience as a TP&T champion. Once I read the job description, I couldn't agree more with her and felt the role was written with me in mind. After interviewing, I accepted the position and now implement new processes and technology and can help those struggling and overwhelmed find ways to make their jobs easier and less stressful. I am an advocate for the field, and my favorite part is that I get to fight for my colleagues' best interests, ensuring their voices are heard.