IN THIS EDITION - Lehigh University

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LEHIGH ACCOUNTING CLUB NEWSLETTERIN THIS EDITIONA Message From theAccounting Club Advisor . . . . 3Letter fromthe Editor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4President’sMessage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5A Glimpseinto The Factory . . . . . . . . . . 6To Be a Womanin Accounting . . . . . . . . . . 8-10The Story ofCathy Engelbert . . . . . . . . . . 11The Accounting ClubTakes On New York City . . . . 12Are You Being RecruitedBy The Big Four? . . . . . . . . . . 14Spotlight onTheresa Muniz . . . . . . . . . . . 16A Message fromThe Accounting Club . . . . . . . 18AY 2019-2020

A Message From theAccounting Club AdvisorLook for job postings on Handshake in September and come speak with us at the career fairThe spring 2020 semester marked my 10th year as a facultyadvisor for the Accounting Club. I have been very fortunateto have had the opportunity to work with so many talentedand ambitious student leaders over these 10 years, andthe 2019-2020 academic year was no exception. To saythe executive team for the Accounting Club faced uniquechallenges this past year would be an understatement. TheCOVID-19 virus changed everything we do at Lehigh to aremote virtual experience. However, the executive team,under the leadership of Mikayla Zion, was indeed brilliant inachieving so many great accomplishments.One of the accomplishments of the executive team this pastyear was to promote the Accounting Club through a brandingcampaign that was started under the 2018-19 leadershipteam. For the first time in club history, pens and cell phoneaccessories branded with Lehigh Accounting Club weredistributed as giveaways at many events on campus. Thishelped create awareness of the club, increase membership,and drive attendance at club events. This effort was led bySarah Mascioli, who did an outstanding job in making thishappen, and also was exemplary in communicating all of theclub events throughout the academic year.The club accomplished a full agenda of events this academicyear. The club held its bi-annual trips to New York City.Both trips were very well attended and were successful ineducating students about the Accounting Profession andthe Accounting Major. As always, they provided a fun dayin New York. In addition, the club continued a traditionJoseph ManzoClub Advisor and Professor of Accountingthat was started last year by holding an off campus event inBethlehem. This year the club arranged a visit to the Factory.Students were able to get an inside look at new food productsand the entrepreneurial funding process that is engaged bythis dynamic company. Afterwards, attendees of the eventwere treated to a dinner to get to know each other and theexecutive team. Overall, the club hosted a total of 10 eventsduring the academic year.As mentioned, the COVID-19 virus forced everyone to makedrastic changes, as no one was able to return to Lehigh afterspring break. However, the executive team still held a virtualtransition workshop for the incoming leadership team andhelped them organize a virtual event about tips for gettinginternships and full time jobs. Also, the newsletter team,under the direction of Editor in Chief Melissa Callahan,pressed forward in getting this edition of the Dollars andSense written and produced while working virtually.One final accomplishment worth noting. This is the secondtime in the club’s history that the executive team wasentirely female. I am very fortunate and proud to havehad the opportunity to work with these talented women.Articles in this edition of the Dollars and Sense highlightsuccessful women who had a significant positive influenceon the Accounting Profession as well as the Accountingprogram at Lehigh. My sincere thank you to Mikayla Zion,Jenny Lin, Melissa Callahan, Sarah Mascioli, Liz Drobiz,Bella King, Amy Chai, and Jillian Wolfson. I appreciate youroutstanding effort and accomplishments this past year.3

President’sMessageLetter from the EditorWelcome to the 2019-2020 AY issue of Dollars & Sense!Dollars & Sense highlights both the Accounting Club and theaccounting program here at Lehigh University. It is also usedto introduce accounting students to the world of accountingbeyond the classroom. This year, our edition of Dollars &Sense is focused on Women in Accounting inspired by ourall-female Executive Board. This publication will hopefullyencourage female empowerment within the business world.The articles in this publication showcase successful storiesof women in all different areas of business. We hope thesearticles will give Lehigh accounting students the opportunityto explore both the accounting major and potential futurecareers in the accounting world. It also includes pieces ofadvice from Lehigh faculty, recruiters, and professionals.From an exclusive look into the Factory LLC, to our semiannual New York City trip, this issue reveals how theaccounting profession is not just one straight path- and theAccounting Club executive board made sure to give Lehighstudents unforgettable experiences. This unique collectionof experiences over the last academic year strives to pushpotential accounting majors to pursue the field, while alsohelping to shed new light on all the incredible opportunitiesLehigh’s accounting program offers students in both theirundergraduate and professional years to come.We are happy to say in the event of COVID-19, the LehighAccounting Department has been able to adapt quicklyand efficiently. While students moved to work remotely,this change has not stopped faculty from offering studentsresources for the future. The content of the newsletter trulyillustrates the successes of the Lehigh Accounting Programas well as our department’s unwavering dedication to thestudents. Amid a global pandemic, we have the amazingopportunity to start learning from others and begin thinkingabout what comes next.4Melissa Callahan ‘21Lehigh’s Accounting Department possesses an impressivenetwork of current students, alumni, professors, andprofessionals in the accounting world. Without the help ofthese individuals, the success of the Accounting Club andthis newsletter would not have been possible. There are somany professors, recruiters, and alumni that deserve a hugeamount of recognition for everything that they have done. I’dlike to thank all of the firms who have given overwhelmingsupport to our club over the years and hosted countlessevents for our students. Without you, the reputation andstrength of our club would not be at the place it is today. Iwould also like to give a special thanks to EY for sponsoringthis edition of Dollars & Sense.Both the incoming and outgoing executive boards deserverecognition for their commitment, engaging events, andinnumerable hours put into making our club a success. I’dlike to give a special thanks to Amy Chai, Jillian Wolfson,and Bella King for their incredible support as assistanteditors. Their consistent hard work is displayed withinthis wonderful publication. I would also like to thank ScottBazzett and everyone else on the production team for puttingour vision onto paper. I owe a huge thank you to ProfessorJoseph Manzo, who has guided me through the productionprocess despite the inevitable limitations due to recentevents. His advice and leadership give the Accounting Clubthe strength it needs to keep moving forward. Lastly, I wouldlike to give my gratitude to all the people who took the timeto be interviewed. I know your advice will spark LehighAccounting students to contemplate their next steps forward.It has been the greatest opportunity to serve as the Editorin-Chief of this newsletter. I cannot wait to see what the nextchapter of the accounting club will bring.It is my privilege and honor to have served as the Presidentof Lehigh’s Accounting Club for the 2019-2020 academicyear. The mission of Lehigh’s Accounting Club is to helpCBE students (1) learn about career opportunities availableto them as accounting majors in public accounting firms,financial services firms and other organizations; and (2)network with Lehigh accounting alumni/professionalsworking in these organizations. In addition, theAccounting Club also helps students develop soft skillssuch as interviewing, resume writing, and etiquettes in aprofessional setting that are not emphasized in a typicalclassroom lecture. This past academic year, the Club’sExecutive Board worked hard to foster a community amongclub members, allowing for valuable open communicationand mentoring.As President of the Accounting Club, I could not be prouderof what our team has accomplished during the 2019-20academic year. During the 2019 fall semester, the club heldeight very successful events with tremendous turnouts,at times exceeding one hundred students. This year wehad a goal of bringing in a wider variety of professionalfirms and focusing more on non-traditional accountingcareer paths. I am delighted to share that we were able toaccomplish this goal by collaborating with other studentrun clubs on campus and working with non-traditionalprofessional firms. We also had the opportunity to visita local company—The Factory—in Bethlehem. Duringthis site visit, club attendees learned about accountingcareers in smaller companies. It was fascinating to seehow “accounting” serves a meaningful purpose in everyorganization, irrespective of its size. This was a greatexperience and we hope to continue this visit on an annualbasis in the future. Unfortunately, due to the coronaviruspandemic, our spring semester was cut short; but, we wereable to host many firms on campus during the first half ofthe semester while school was still in session.Overall, I take tremendous pride in my team and ineverything that we have accomplished in this truncatedacademic year. Being the President of the Accounting Clubprovided me with an unparalleled opportunity to develop myleadership and strategic thinking skills. Interacting with firmprofessionals and accounting faculty has trained me wellin communication skills while working with my ExecutiveMikayla Zion ‘21Board and other volunteers has taught me the true value ofteamwork and collective decision-making. I am thankfulfor everything that I have learned by being part of thistremendous club. I will carry these skills and experiencesinto the real world as I take the next step forward at PwC asa tax intern during the 2020 summer and then as a full-timeprofessional upon graduation.None of the Accounting Club’s accomplishments would bepossible without the dedication and untiring commitment ofmy Exec Board: Jenny Lin (Vice President), Sarah Mascioli(Communications), Elizabet Drobiz (Treasurer), MelissaCallahan (Editor in Chief), Amy Chai (Editor), Isabella King(Editor), and Jillian Wolfson (photographer). Every one ofthem has made a huge contribution during this academicyear to ensure the Accounting Club’s tremendous success. Ithank them all from the bottom of my heart. I am fortunateto get to know all of them at a very personal level and I lookforward to hearing more about their accomplishments inthe future. I offer my most sincere gratitude to our clubadvisor, Professor Manzo. Without his guidance and help,none of this would have been possible. Thank you, ProfessorManzo, for everything that you do for the Accounting Cluband the students! I would also like to thank Mrs. Terry Muniz(Accounting Department’s Academic Coordinator), ProfessorBryan Cloyd (Accounting Department Chair), ProfessorParveen Gupta, and the rest of the accounting departmentfaculty for always lending a helping hand and constantlysupporting our endeavors.Finally, I would like to thank the recruiters and all of theprofessionals with whom we worked with this year; it hasbeen such a pleasure. I feel so fortunate to have been able towork alongside such wonderful and purpose-driven people.Serving as President of the Accounting Club will remain asone of the key highlights of my academic career at Lehigh. Ithas truly been an amazing experience. I wish the incomingExec Board best of luck and lots of success in continuingto deliver the club’s mission of serving fellow studentsinterested in pursuing accounting as their major.5

A Glimpseinto The FactoryOn November 21st of the fall semester, Lehigh’sAccounting Club had the privilege of taking an inside lookat the operations and manufacturing process at FactoryLLC. This 40,000 square foot building located withinwalking distance of Lehigh’s campus, was previously aformer mill that produced steel during World War II. Now,the Factory houses a team of operators responsible for“scaling up” small startups by helping entrepreneurs toget their product sold in more places. As of now, Factory ispartnered with five food and beverage companies -- StuffedPuffs, Honey Stinger, Mikey’s, Pipcorn, and Partake.Factory’s goal is to help their partners on all aspects ofthe business process including sales and merchandising,Amy Chai ’21marketing, packaging and design, product development,and finance and supply chain resources.The founder of Factory — Richard Thompson, explainsthat Bethlehem is the perfect location since it reaches keysupply chain resources from major cities both in the eastand south.Our tour was led by Marla Hyndman, who is the head ofthe finance team. She guided us around the newly builtfacility, pointing out the individual teams of professionalsworking on all steps of the business process fromdesigning product labels, to developing flavors, to shippingout inventory. Students got a first-hand look at how peoplewith diverse sets of skills are able to build a business fromthe ground-up.Much of Lehigh’s Accounting curriculum places a bigemphasis on students interning and eventually working fora Big 4 accounting firm. Throughout much of sophomoreand junior year, students get plenty ofopportunity to meet with recruitersas well as tour the firms in New York.While there are many other careeroptions besides Big 4 firms, thesesmaller companies are not emphasizedwhen students are seeking internshipsand job opportunities.Inside The Factory buildingThe Accounting Club’svisit to Factory was aneye-opening experienceexposing students to a lesstraditional career path ina private company.This type of career emphasizes theoperational and financial processesof companies from small startups to anationally recognized brand.Lehigh student groupStudents tour the facility, led by Marla Hyndman67

To Be a Womanin AccountingMelissa Callahan ‘21As you navigate through your career in college, there are many opportunities and decisions you must make. Understandably,having the power to choose your own future can be an overwhelming and confusing journey. Therefore, I wanted to interviewsome Lehigh Accounting Alumnae to offer some insight into their college and professional experiences. This article mightalso shed some light on what it is like to be a woman in accounting, from the start of the career to present day. I hope this helpsyou think about your future at Lehigh and beyond. During the interview, we asked these accomplished women to reflect ontheir career experiences. Some of the questions asked were:ƹ As a woman in Accounting, what are your thoughts about gender withinyour profession?ƹ What observations have you made during your career regarding women inaccounting or higher management positions?In my sector, there are mostly females in my group. However,I find the banking sector to be more male dominated.Personally, I do see KPMG working towards more diversity.I was recently invited to the event “Women in Real Estate”where there were panels with the Board of Directors.This event was to help encourage women to pursue higherpositions and promote increasing diversity.—Shirley ChoyWhen graduating Lehigh, I did not feel any gender barriersor glass ceilings. As a mother, my perception has changed. Itis more time intensive for work. My husband and I balancecaretaking but sometimes I might need to leave a littleearlier and log on a little later at night. Sometimes personallife can impact work life. However, I have an amazing teamthat is understanding and flexible. The main key to makingthis work is communication. It helps with managing timeand stress. I will say my priorities have shifted from worksocial time to family time. I want to give 110% to my son,therefore I want to be more efficient and skip a happy hour.My experience at EY has been very positive but I understandwhy some women might not enter higher management due totheir children or family.—Eleanor HuetherI am currently the only woman in the sales managementteam. I have noticed that once you have a child you areviewed very differently. Your job isn’t number one. Onceyou get to the higher levels, other managers or leaders canprevent women from receiving higher positions. Sometimeswomen are the first to leave their jobs in companies. As I lookback to my EY, I notice not many women partners. Frommy starting Lehigh class at EY of 50 people, there are onlythree left who are reaching partner status. None of themare women. However, I also see change occurring withinGlobus Medical to improve their inclusion and diversity. Mycompany created a Women’s Network Group this year to helpwomen succeed in our company. Their mission is to createa culture that develops and bolsters women’s leadershipabilities and a core vision for each woman at GlobusMedical is to lead, encourage, and inspire each other in bothprofessional and personal development.—Christine MarshallI do not feel treated any differently as a woman. However, Ido notice the predominantly male majority in my FLDP class.I know Johnson & Johnson is working on their diversitywithin the company. They are looking at their currentpercentages and try to set goals for themselves to increasetheir diversity.—Vanessa Snyder8Shirley ChoyChristine MarshallManaging Directorat KPMGGroup manager of Sales Analysisat Globus MedicalCLASS OF 1999Shirley Choy is currently a ManagingDirector at KPMG in New York CityFinance Real Estate. She was anAccounting major and Asian Studies minor.Some activities she was involved in were Asian Club and ChineseCultural Club where they would look at some incredible archivesof Chinese artifacts within the Linderman Library. One of theevents she loved most at Lehigh was a huge clambake on the FrontLawn during her first year. A class that was interesting to her wascostume design and makeup.Shirley remembers interviewing for KPMG with people from theformer Allentown branch. She describes KPMG as super friendlyand a place where everyone felt like family. Her favorite aspect ofthe company has always been about the people especially those whoare willing to teach and those willing to learn. The most rewardingmoment for Shirley was being promoted to managing director. Itwas unexpected after returning from her rotational program. Atthe time, many people were leaving the firm and KPMG surprisedher by offering an interview for managing director. Her colleaguessupported her through the process by helping her prepare for theinterviews and offering advice.Eleanor HuetherCLASS OF 2009Senior Tax Managerat EYCurrently, Eleanor Huether resides inNew Jersey with her husband and almosttwo-year old son. While she majored inAccounting, she also took the opportunityto minor in both Spanish and Engineering. During her time atLehigh, she participated in Leadership Lehigh and AmericaReads Counts located at Nativity Church. Her favorite memoryfrom Lehigh was when she and her husband went to mountaintopcampus to play golf. A Lehigh photographer (Douglas Benedict)asked if he could take pictures of them and they had a funphotoshoot that afternoon. Eleanor would later hire him asher wedding photographer years later. Her favorite class wasAccounting Information Systems with Professor James Hall.At EY, Eleanor works in the real estate practice with some of thebiggest investment management teams. She started her careersearch with the accounting club and traveling on our New YorkCity trips. During her search, she found EY staff were easy to talkto and choose to stay at the firm because the people. Eleanor alsoloves the opportunities and resources EY offers to help her career.She is encouraged to think innovatively and has even won an EYTax Innovation Competition where she was given a grant to fundher idea. Lastly, Eleanor believes the most rewarding thing duringher time at EY was watching the people she has mentored growinto leaders.CLASS OF 2004Christine Marshall is a mother of two andwife of Kerry Marshall. During her time atLehigh, she competed in Cross Country andTrack, was the team captain senior year,and a member of the Alpha Omega Pi Sorority. Her favorite memoryis Le-Laf week and watching the rivalry game. Some classes outsidethe business school she liked taking was “Study of Hip Hop” andCaribbean studies.Christine started her accounting career at EY in 2004. After EY,she pursued a career at Globus Medical. At the time, it was a smallcompany about to go public. Christine believed this was a greatlearning opportunity. She was able to learn the IPO process andwatch her hard work pay off when the company finally went public.In her position, she analyzes sales trends for surgeries, calculatessales representative commissions, and creates sales forecastingfor all new hires. Her favorite part about her work is that she is notjust working in the accounting department. In her position, sheinteracts with different people and their skill sets. She gets to knowall aspects of the company and watch it grow.Vanessa SnyderCLASS OF 2019Associate Financial Analyst for Global Distribution Operationat Johnson & JohnsonVanessa Snyder recently graduated as adouble major in Accounting and Marketingwith a minor in Global Studies. She is fromright outside Bethlehem, PA and enjoyshiking. Some activities she was involved in were Peer Tutoring, theAmerica Reads program at Donegan Elementary, and after schooltutoring at the Fritz Church. During her senior year, she joined theEnterprise System Center to participate in marketing externships.This gave her more exposure to unique work experiences andpractical work experience to put on her resume. One of her favoritememories from Lehigh was performing in Dance Fest with the BellyDancing Club.At Johnson & Johnson, Vanessa is in the Financial LeadershipDevelopment Program (FLDP) which is a rotational program forrecent college graduates. The first rotation is a year and a half, andthe second rotation is a year with the goal to give employees differentexperiences within the company. Vanessa’s finance role supports thesupply chain specifically regarding logistics and customer serviceto make sure products are delivered to the end customer. In thisposition, she describes herself as a jack of all trades since the workperformed is cross-sector and global. Vanessa chose Johnson &Johnson because of her interest in healthcare and the opportunityfor a rotational program. Her favorite part about the company is shefeels very supported and hopeful about her ability to move within thecompany. She has the opportunity to get a wide scope of experiencesthroughout her career.9

The Story ofCathy EngelbertTo Be a Woman in Accounting (continued)ƹ If you could give any advice tocurrent accounting students,what would it be?Lehigh Alumni, Cathy Engelbert, is the perfect role modelfor those who aspire to lead and create significant impacts.Engelbert graduated from Lehigh in 1986, receiving aBachelors in Accounting and later becoming a certified publicaccountant. During her time at Lehigh, she was a member ofboth the basketball and lacrosse teams, serving as captainfor both teams. After her great success at Lehigh, Engelbertcontinued to advance in the workplace.The accounting world is changing. Take the time toreally learn excel since this will be imperative duringyour accounting career. Another area to pay attention tois data analytics.Jillian Wolfson ‘21Her passion for sports has driven her to take on yet anotherimpressive role where she will continue to succeed.She began her career at Deloitte in 1986 where she gained vastbusiness experience and knowledge. She then became the CEOof Deloitte, becoming the first woman to have this positionin a Big 4 firm. Engelbert led one of the largest professionalorganizations and generated efficient results and productivity.–Shirley ChoyStart taking advantage of everything Lehigh has to offer.I was lucky to be able to sit in engineering lectures andtake Spanish classes. These new experiences helped methink differently. A business way to look at somethingdiffers from the engineering way to look at something.I was able to start thinking about the problem, not justthe solution. Lastly, take the opportunity to volunteersince Lehigh makes it easier for students to balanceschoolwork and volunteering. It is a lot harder to findtime to volunteer while working full time.On October 23, Engelbert participated in the SegalAccounting Distinguished Speaker Series at Lehigh. Duringher speech, she stated that her success was attributed to“prioritizing people over tasks.” She explained how she leda “people first agenda,” in order to create an integrated andefficient work environment.Engelbert has recently become the first commissioner ofthe Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA).–Eleanor HuetherWith all of Englebert’s success, her proudest accomplishmentis being a role model to her children. She made it a priorityto attend her daughter’s basketball games, despite havingimportant responsibilities as the CEO of Deloitte. “I wantedthem to see me there. Everyone can do it,” Englebert said.Engelbert serves as an inspiration to those who desire to leadand especially to women who wish to break boundaries in theworld of business and beyond.Junior year is going to be hard in Accounting but onceyou jump that hurdle, stick with it and it will pay off.Accounting will teach you to have discipline and to bemeticulous. Go public to get the experience. You stillhave the flexibility to go to various types of companiesand audit them, whether it be Trump Casinos orCitibank.–Christine MarshallTry to get diverse experience whether it is in thebusiness with Data Analytics or pursuing a minor inanother subject. It is beneficial to think wider andstrategically. I encourage you to take classes outside thebusiness school. Do not feel like you need to follow thestatus quo. Start pushing yourself to succeed and get themost time out of your Lehigh experience.–Vanessa SnyderCathy Englebert speaking at Lehigh University forSegal Accounting Distinguished Speaker Series.1011

The Accounting ClubTakes On New York CityThroughout the year, the Accounting Club took two fullday trips to NYC to “get to know” the Big Four accountingfirms. Beginning in the fall, the Lehigh Accounting Clubtraveled to visit PwC, KPMG, and Deloitte. The day startedat PwC, where students engaged in a fun and interactiveintroduction of what PwC offers to current employees -from gym memberships to company merch. Following anoffice tour, we were invited to participate in a MindfulMeditation that inspired people to practice self-carein busy daily life. Afterwards, all the studentswalked to Morton’s Steakhouse where weMelissa Callahan ’21& Bella King ’22had an opportunity to chat with current PwC businessprofessionals and ask them questions about their roles atthe firm. The next stop was KPMG, where we learned abouttheir leadership academy in Florida and opportunities withindifferent areas in the company. As a fun treat, Aubrey Baier(KPMG Recruiter) brought edible cookie dough from DŌ toshare with us all. The final firm we visited was Deloitte wherewe attended an amazing networking session with LehighFaculty and Alumni. Here, the students were able to socializewith Lehigh Accounting Alumni and Faculty. Concluding ourfirst trip, the Accounting Club felt incredibly thankful for theopportunity given to Lehigh students to gain further insightinto the industry and to network with professionals.This successful trip was followed by another in the spring tovisit EY and Deloitte. Our morning began with breakfastat EY, while enjoying a presentation on their internshipopportunities. Jenny O’Donnell (EY Recruiter)organized some creative icebreakers to network withthe employees of the office, such as “Get to Know YouBingo” and “Question Jenga.” This was followed by apanel where various employees shared informationabout their careers and the numerous avenuesthat led them to EY. Students were able to askquestions about internships directly to Jenny,while learning about the types of qualities thatEY likes to see in prospective students. Bymidday, we were treated to lunch at Carmine’s before ourtransition to Deloitte. The Accounting Club was greeted withmany friendly faces and then received a tour of the office.Afterwards, we participated in an interactive workshop thathelped students get some insight into what jobs at Deloittemay best fit their individual personality and workstyle.The Accounting Club is extremely grateful to once againbe welcomed into these firms for these greatly informativeexperiences. Every year, our club brings an engaging groupof students on these trips, and we are excited to see thistradition continue.An EY panel to help answer any questions about theircareers and give advice.Annual Accounting Reception with Lehigh Alumni talking to youngAccounting students about their experiences.Accounting Club Executives and Advisor having lunch at Carmine’sGroup picture at the Deloitte Office.1213

Are You Being Recruited byTHE BIG 4?Bella King ’22Jennifer O’DonnellCallie McCarthyCollaborativeCollegialEY RECRUITERDELOITTE RECRUITEREmployees at EY don’t care if you’re a firstyear or a partner; they express the sameamount of commitment to their team. It isimportant for all employees to be engagedwith one another and be willing to ask andanswer questions at EY.Deloitte is excited to teach yo

of Lehigh's Accounting Club for the 2019-2020 academic year. The mission of Lehigh's Accounting Club is to help CBE students (1) learn about career opportunities available to them as accounting majors in public accounting firms, financial services firms and other organizations; and (2) network with Lehigh accounting alumni/professionals