Happy National Women’s History Month! Windham Brannon marks the occasion by spotlighting some of our female leadership. Windham Brannon proudly affirms that 57% of our employee base and more than half of our leadership team is female. We support several different women-based and women-owned organizations including: Commercial Real Estate Women, Women’s Global Leadership Summit, Women in Pensions Network, Accounting & Financial Women’s Alliance, Kate’s Club, American Women’s Society of Certified Public Accountants.
Question Everyone has a story about how they decided to enter their career field. What made you want to pursue accounting? Did you always know or did you discover it in school?
Courtnay Bazemore: I discovered the field at University of Georgia. UGA has an outstanding program and it seemed like a great career with job security! My favorite class was Tax Research. Although I started my career in Auditing, I felt like I was better suited for Tax and returned to school to get a Masters in Taxation at Georgia State University, one of my best career decisions. Most of my classes at Georgia State were at night, so I worked in the mornings preparing tax returns at a local CPA firm, headed to the library in the afternoons, and then to class at night.
How has public accounting evolved since you entered the workforce?
Courtnay: When I entered the workforce, there was no internet, computers were as large as a conference room (!), no cell phones, and the women wore stockings and floppy ties with our black or navy suits. Today’s world is one of constant communication and open lines of contact. Technology is sophisticated and allows for professionals to not only perform their work from any location but also serve clients worldwide, regardless of their location. My clients are from all over the world. Increasingly, there are opportunities for personnel to work at varying schedules during certain stages of their lives, including working moms and dads who wish to work part-time while raising their children. One thing that has not changed is that the CPA has been and continues to be the client’s most trusted advisor. And we get to wear what we want.
What has helped you get to where you are, and what advice would you share with people who are interested in following a similar path?
Courtnay: Without a doubt, get a mentor. I wouldn’t be where I am today without the support and encouragement and practical advice offered to me by the mentors in my career.
To face the future effectively, what are the most critical changes we need to make in the industry?
Courtnay: Our profession must proactively adapt to the automation of some, but certainly not all, elements of our compliance services. Universities are training students to be ready for this dynamic through courses including Data Analytics. We are training our employees to enhance critical thinking and proactive planning skills. There will always be a need for accounting staff at all levels in a CPA firm, but their responsibilities may be different and likely more exciting and challenging.
What are common misconceptions people have about accountants that you’d like to address?
Courtnay: We have a lot of fun!
