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Tag: MPA alumni

REGISTER: MPA Current Student and Alumni Panel

November 22, 2021 / / 0 Comments

Join us at the Master in Professional Accounting (MPA) Current Student and Alumni Panel to meet five people who have experienced the MPA program first-hand. You’ll hear about their time in the program, why they chose to study accounting, and their career path since graduating from the program. Plus, you’ll get the chance to ask the students and alumni questions.

Register here! We’ll see you Tuesday, November 30 from 5:00 – 6:00 p.m. CT.

Meet the Panelists:

Kashif AliKashif Ali, MPA ‘22  –  Current Student
Kashif is an integrated MPA student who will be graduating this spring. He has held multiple internships in both public accounting and industry organizations, including data strategy and accounting at Amherst Holdings, tax management consulting at Deloitte, and financial analysis at Amazon. This summer after graduation, he will going to work full-time at Amazon as a Product Manager.

Marie ChhiberMarie Chhiber, MPA ‘22 –  Current Student
Marie received her undergraduate degree from Georgia State University in Cello Performance. As she pursued her music career and ran her own business, she discovered she enjoyed accounting (especially tax) and decided to take the plunge and change careers. Marie is seeking a tax accounting role with a medium- to large-sized tech-forward company and will be pursuing the CPA licensure.

Chad ClarkChad Clark, MPA ‘09 –  Director of Financial Markets, PwC
Chad has spent more than 12 years in PwC’s Financial Markets and Real Estate practice. He is a subject matter specialist, focused on the taxation of securitization transactions and tax reporting for entities that hold or issue debt and complex financial instruments. His professional experience includes tax planning and reporting for corporations that hold or issue complex financial instruments, taxation of securitization transactions, and developing and enhancing tax applications and processes for debt transactions.

Cesar GuerraCésar Guerra, MPA ‘06 –  Sr. Director-Process Excellence, Aon
César is Senior Director for Process Excellence for Automation & Transitions at Aon. His job is primarily focused on delivering reusable and scalable solutions that will help drive process optimization and efficiency globally. He currently leads a multi-disciplinary organization across the US, UK, India, and Poland. Prior to joining Aon, César was both at Amazon and General Motors. Throughout his career, he has held several leadership positions across multiple areas such as M&A, Finance, Accounting, Internal Audit and Business Services.

Katy McNeyKaty McNey, MPA ‘11 –  Sr. Manager, KPMG
Katy joined KPMG Dallas in January 2012 after graduating from the MPA program. As a Tax Senior Manager and CPA, she has over nine years of experience assisting clients with US tax compliance and consulting related to cross-border transactions. From January 2015 to April 2016, Katy served as a Seconded Assistant Manager within KPMG Hong Kong’s US tax practice. She also has significant experience managing large internal teams in a virtual environment and has been selected to serve on various internal KPMG councils which focus on firm strategy and growth.

Register Today!

Meet John Bober, MPA ’82

June 2, 2021 / / 0 Comments

From earning an undergraduate degree in history to making a professional pivot into accounting and finance, John Bober (MPA ’82) has had a long and successful career. After earning his Master in Professional Accounting, John started at Arthur Andersen and quickly made partner. He then transitioned to GE Capital, where he spent nearly 23 years of his career. John retired in March 2018 and is now a consultant in the leasing industry. He is also a long-time supporter of our Department.

TELL US MORE ABOUT YOUR CAREER AT GE.
I joined GE Capital after more than a decade in public accounting and right after making partner. It was one of the best career decisions I made. The breadth of experience and wisdom I gained at GE were unparalleled. Over my 23 years, I had roles in controllership, finance, risk, and general management. My favorite stints were those I had in project finance, where I led the group that analyzed the accounting and tax implications of investment structures and established investment hurdle rates. I also had other responsibilities within the larger GE organization, including lease pricing and serving as the finance group’s subject matter expert for leasing. At the time, responsibility at GE went to the person and not the position, which allowed for considerable professional growth.

HOW ARE YOU STAYING BUSY IN RETIREMENT?
Since retiring, I have stayed active in the industry. I am now a consultant with The Alta Group, a global consultancy dedicated to equipment leasing and finance — it’s a very interesting world and I enjoy consulting on lease accounting, pricing, and operations. My deepest experience is on the lessor side, and spending time on transactions and establishing lease programs and captive finance arrangements is where my retirement days usually go.

WHY DID YOU JOIN THE DEPARTMENT’S ADVISORY COUNCIL?
Maybe I am a frustrated academic… I enjoy learning what is being taught, and it is great to hear what is on the minds of students and what they are looking for. It was especially helpful when I was recruiting on campus for GE.

WHY DID YOU SWITCH FROM HISTORY TO ACCOUNTING AND FINANCE?
I figured out in college that I needed a skill that I could monetize. I had the opportunity to work in foreign policy, but I passed as UT offered me a fellowship to study accounting in a great program. I do credit my liberal arts courses with helping me learn how to think and process large amounts of information. My history degree also taught me to write, which has served me well.

WHAT DO YOU REMEMBER MOST ABOUT YOUR TIME AT TEXAS McCOMBS?
In the early 80s, there was much to talk about in accounting from a theory and public policy perspective; I thoroughly enjoyed the courses that emphasized the “why” and how accounting information is used. This served me well in the second half of my career, when I was more of a thought leader in the accounting world. I also remember how Michael Granof’s two government accounting courses gave me a window into a different world.

Learn more about starting your journey in accounting at Texas McCombs MPA by visiting our website.

Paving New Paths: MPA Alums with Non-Business Backgrounds

October 6, 2020 / / 0 Comments

Some students enter the traditional MPA program with non-business backgrounds looking to make a career pivot. Let’s meet a few of our recent alums who did just that and find out where they are now.

 

Mara EtzMARA ETZ, tMPA ’16
Undergrad: Northeastern University, Criminal Justice
Current Position: Tax Senior Associate, PwC
Location:  Austin, TX

What do you enjoy most about being in tax for your career?
I like the client relationships we have as tax professionals. And specific to state and local tax, I enjoy the challenge of figuring out the differences between the tax laws in each jurisdiction. It keeps things interesting.

What was your favorite class at Texas McCombs?
It’s a tie between Intro to Tax with Professor Holbrook and Mergers & Acquistions with Professor Singer.

 

SSymone GreenYMONE GREEN, tMPA ’16
Undergrad: Columbia University, Italian Cultural Studies
Current Position: Analyst Accountant, Millennium
Location: New York City, NY

Why did you decide to earn your MPA degree?
Even though my undergrad major was Italian Cultural Studies, I was pre-med. I completed the requirements but decided that I no longer wished to attend medical school. At the same time, I was teaching myself some accounting in order to teach it to someone else. I ended up taking a liking to it so I decided to study accounting after I graduated.

What was your favorite class at Texas McCombs?
My favorite class at McCombs was Strategic Control Systems with Jim Albrecht. I enjoyed working on the case studies, and Professor Albrecht was very knowledgeable on the subject of management strategy.

 

Sam HendersonSAM HENDERSON, tMPA ’19
Undergrad: Texas A&M University, Maritime Business
Current Position: Internal Auditor, ExxonMobil
Location: Houston, TX

Tell us more about your job with Exxon.
I am currently an internal auditor within ExxonMobil’s Controller group. While it’s a challenging role, I am being exposed to the entirety of ExxonMobil’s business and interact regularly with senior management. It is a great position to learn about the company and potential future roles.

What was your favorite class at Texas McCombs?
It’s hard to choose a favorite but I would rank the ITAC class pretty high. It combined previously learned theories and applied it to real world business examples.

 

Connect with an MPA Student Ambassador to learn more about life in the MPA program and living in Austin!

A Peek into the Classroom: Tax Research

August 10, 2020 / / 0 Comments

From earning his MPA degree to becoming a Director in PwC’s Financial Markets practice, Chad Clark (MPA ’09) is utilizing his tax expertise both in his professional life and back on campus. Let’s learn about a case he developed for Professor Kristina Zvinakis’ Tax Research course.

CAN YOU EXPLAIN THE CASE YOU CREATED FOR PROFESSOR ZVINAKIS’ CLASS?
The case was about an investment in a financial product, a zero-coupon bond. It required students to use their research skills to determine the proper tax classification of the investment and the amount of taxable income the investment generated across time. The method for determining taxable income required more than basic arithmetic, so students also had to tap into their Finance 101 memory bank to compute those amounts.

WHAT DO YOU REMEMBER ABOUT YOUR TAX RESEARCH COURSE?
We learned about issue spotting, research techniques, how to write a memo, the hierarchy of tax authorities, and so much more. Not only was Tax Research my favorite class in business school, I believe it has been more valuable to me as a professional than any of my other classes. I have been working for ten years and I still use the same techniques for research and writing that I learned from Professor Zvinakis.

WHY DID YOU CHOOSE TO STUDY TAX?
I liked the idea that tax planning could impact an organization’s bottom line. I appreciated and enjoyed the compliance aspect of tax, but it was the strategy and planning that drew me in.

TELL US ABOUT YOUR LIFE SINCE GRADUATING FROM THE MPA PROGRAM.
I have been working with PwC’s Financial Markets group for the past ten years. I spent the first two in New York City and have been in Austin since then. When I am not working I am out enjoying Austin with my wife Kassie, daughter Quincy, 9, son Theo, 5, and identical twins Archie and Hawthorne, 18 months.

WHAT DO YOU RECOMMEND STUDENTS LEARN MORE ABOUT BEFORE ENTERING THE WORKFORCE?
Technology and data analytics have become an integral part of business, so I believe students will benefit by developing skills and knowledge in these areas as a supplement to their area of focus within accounting. This was one of the key themes we discussed while debriefing the case study during class.

Leaving a Legacy: E. Ben Yager

June 12, 2020 / / 0 Comments

E. Ben Yager received a BBA from the University of Texas at Austin in 1947 and received the first ever MPA degree in 1949. Seventy-one years later, his granddaughter, Katherine Glass, is following in his footsteps and graduated with her MPA this spring. Though Ben passed away twelve years ago, as Katie tells us, his legacy lives on through his family and accounting career.

A young Katherine Glass and her grandfather, Ben Yager, smile for a photo.

TELL US ABOUT YOURSELF, KATIE.
I grew up in Florida and completed my undergraduate studies at Elon University. In addition to my grandfather and me, my father, sister, uncle, two aunts, and two cousins have majored in accounting!

WHAT SPARKED YOUR INTEREST IN ACCOUNTING?
Initially, I was attracted to accounting because it offered solid career opportunities. Through my accounting coursework, I have been pleasantly surprised to find that it is also dynamic and growth-oriented.

WHY DID YOU DECIDE TO ATTEND THE TEXAS McCOMBS MPA PROGRAM?
Because of its prestige, wealth of resources, and the exceptional community of diverse, impressive faculty and peers. I knew this program would offer a broad array of opportunities for academic and professional growth. Plus, my grandfather went to school here, so McCombs runs in the family.

WHAT DO YOU REMEMBER MOST ABOUT YOUR GRANDFATHER?
I remember that grandfather was a loyal fan of both Longhorn and Cincinnati Reds’ baseball, and he always welcomed my visits to Texas with Fig Newtons — a tradition begun by his father.

WHAT LEGACIES DID YOUR GRANDFATHER LEAVE BEHIND?
In his 35 years as a professor and later as a department chair, my grandfather worked to enhance the accounting profession by educating several generations of accounting professionals, actively contributing to numerous professional organizations, and building long-term professional relationships with leaders in accounting and finance. Upon his retirement in 1989, an endowment was created in his name that provides scholarships for accountancy students at Miami University.

WHAT ARE YOUR POST-GRADUATION PLANS?
This fall, I am excited to be joining PwC’s Assurance practice in Tampa, Florida!

ABOUT DR. E. BEN YAGER
After graduating from UT Austin, Ben worked as the Chief Accountant of Sul Ross State College in Alpine, Texas. He then entered Indiana University’s PhD program and received a Doctorate of Business Administration. At Indiana, he met his wife, Jeanne, and they were married on June 13, 1953. In 1955, Ben began his teaching career at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. He was named the C. Rollin Niswonger Professor of Accountancy and was Department Chairman for over five years before returning to his beloved job as a professor. He co-authored three editions of the CPA Examination: A Comprehensive Review. Ben was a CPA in Texas and Ohio and was a member of the American Institute of CPAs, Ohio Society of CPAs, American Accounting Association, Financial Executives Institute, and Alpha Kappa Psi business society. The E. Ben Yager Scholarship is awarded to one undergraduate student at Miami University annually.

MPA Alumnus Profile: Isaiah Massey

February 12, 2020 / / 0 Comments

Ten years ago, Isaiah Massey (traditional MPA ’09) was named an Elijah Watt Sells Award winner. He started his professional career with Deloitte in Houston and now is the CFO of CAZ Investments. Read on to learn more about Isaiah and his journey from auditor to CFO.

WHAT’S YOUR STORY, ISAIAH?
My family continues to be the greatest success of my life. Professor Clement told me once that my spouse would be the greatest driver of my success, and he was correct. I have been married to my wife, Hope, for 13 years and we have two sons: Ridge, 6, and Kruz, 4. The time I spend with them gives me the strength of character it takes to be successful in my profession. At CAZ Investments, I have a team that I can trust and we support our team’s success both in the workplace and at home. My role here deals with all things legal, compliance, and accounting/reporting, but the team is what sets the experience apart.

WHY DID YOU CHOOSE TO STUDY ACCOUNTING?
Originally, I went to Wichita State to become a math teacher since I excelled in math in high school and teachers were the only professionals I knew growing up in Dexter, Kansas (a town of about 100 people). While I have a high level of respect for teachers, I quickly grew bored with the content. An accounting professor challenged me to pivot; I read a few chapters of the textbook and immediately knew it was something I enjoyed and could be successful in.

WHY DID YOU DECIDE TO MOVE TO TEXAS TO EARN YOUR MPA?
I wanted to go to the best school possible, and UT Austin was at the top of the rankings. The program also helped to make it financially possible for me to attend, which I continue to appreciate. It was a school and region that I was generally familiar with from growing up in the Midwest, so that also put it above other great schools.

WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE CLASS WHILE AT TEXAS McCOMBS?
I took two classes from Professor Robert Prentice: a course in CPA ethics and a course in insider trading/applied finance law. He wrote his own textbooks, loved mornings like I did, and is one of the most genuine people that I have ever met. He cared about each student and how we were doing on a daily basis. Over the course of my tenure at Texas McCombs, I remember Professor Prentice, Professor Clement, and Professor Granof all offering me personal advice that went beyond the classroom and actually changed how I lived and what I valued. For them to care at that level was very special, and I continue to appreciate them and view them as great teachers and leaders who influenced me.

HOW DID YOU FIND OUT YOU WERE A SELLS AWARD WINNER?
Someone from the AICPA called to tell me that I won the award. It was fairly late in the evening and I was still onsite at a Deloitte client, so the first person I told was my manager (a fellow UT grad, Asylbek Osmonov). I initially thought it was a practical joke of some sort because the call was outside of normal business hours and I never thought it was likely that I would win, but the caller knew so many details that by the time I hung up, I knew it was legitimate.

TELL US ABOUT YOUR CAREER PATH.
I was at Deloitte for a few years, then left to work in Austin at a company called Stratfor. I was lucky to have great leaders to learn from at both places. Shea Morenz, also a UT grad, was my CEO at Stratfor and I am not sure that I can ever repay the confidence and trust he placed in me as a young accountant, as he propelled me into a leadership role as Stratfor’s CFO. He gave me room to grow, forgave my arrogance and mistakes, and continues to be supportive of me today. Currently I am CFO at CAZ Investments in Houston.

WHAT IS CAZ INVESTMENTS?
CAZ Investments is an investment manager that provides access to investments that might otherwise be unavailable to our investors. We embody our leadership and our team in our culture, and we value each other more than we value ourselves. That spirit of selflessness in the team permeates to how we value and work with our investors, sponsors, and vendors. To me, that is what sets us apart.

WHAT’S NEXT FOR YOU?
A rural boy from Kansas who had never heard of accounting as a profession until he was 19 has wandered into being educated at the best schools and taught to lead by great men and women. I couldn’t predict the details, but if history tells me anything I will look up in five years and realize that I continue to be a very blessed individual.

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