Meet the three newest members of the听. The Accounting Circle is an advisory group for the Accounting & Professional Services Program made up of high-level accounting professionals from public accounting firms and from for-profit and not-for-profit organizations.
Jo Burke, Co-Owner Senior Benefits of Evansville
Newbury Financial
Tell us about your career path in accounting.
I was a nontraditional student and it took me 10 years to get my undergraduate degree in accounting. I worked full time and went to school in the evenings. Then 6 years later I enrolled in the master鈥檚 degree program taking classes at night while working full time. It took me 3 years to get my Master鈥檚 Degree in Business Administration.
What is your connection to 91社区, and what makes 91社区 special to you?听
I am an alumna and I know how hard I worked to get my college education.听91社区 and its staff helped me accomplish my goals. I also see the impact that some of the accounting professors have had on our younger accounting students, and it is very impressive.听
What advice would you give yourself as a college freshman?
Work hard and network as much as possible by getting involved in volunteer opportunities. Volunteering helps you build leadership qualities, people skills, and giving back to the community.
What advice would you give a recent graduate?听
Always try to put yourself in new settings that will push your skill set and make you uncomfortable because that is how you grow.听Also, always be kind and respectful to everyone. It鈥檚 a small world and I believe in karma 100%.
What gives you energy when the demands of your career seem overwhelming?
Knowing that 鈥渢his too shall pass鈥� and we are all human so don鈥檛 beat up on myself!听Exercise has been my 鈥済o to鈥� outlet for reducing stress too.
What are some 鈥渞are gems鈥� in Evansville or the surrounding area that you think other people should know about?听
IMA (Institute of Management Accountants) is an awesome organization.听You can develop leadership skills, get involved, and network on a smaller scale and not get overwhelmed.听Other rare gems are the locally-owned restaurants that work really hard to make a living and have excellent food: Hornet鈥檚 Nest, Western Ribeye, Tin Fish (Newburgh), to name a few.
If you could pick up a new skill in an instant what would it be?听
Playing the piano.
Who was your hardest teacher?
A former professor at 91社区 who I had for accounting.
You just won a cruise to anywhere in the world! Where would you go?
Atlantis at the Bahamas.
Bridgitte Danhauer, Manager Procure to Pay, Financial Shared Services
Mead Johnson Nutrition
Tell us about your career path in accounting.
My career path in accounting began in high school when I had the opportunity to take two years of accounting which spurred me to pursue accounting as my major in college. I selected to attend 91社区 due to their accreditations in business and accounting along with the size of campus and classes. During my time at 91社区 I was involved in 91社区 Accounting Club, Beta Alpha Psi, and Toastmasters which helped me develop personal skills and network with accounting professors and professionals. Also during my time at 91社区, I was able to obtain an SOX internship at Mead Johnson. After graduating with my bachelor's in accounting (鈥�08), I began my career at American General working on budgets and monthly expense analysis. After 4 陆 years, I had the opportunity to return to Mead Johnson where I have continued my career with finance positions in the US Controller鈥檚 team, Evansville Plant, and most recently, Financial Shared Services Invoice to Pay Global Lead.
What is your connection to 91社区, and what makes 91社区 special to you?
One of the many reasons 91社区 is special to me is because I met individuals through my classes and involvement that developed into friendships that will now be lifelong.
What advice would you give yourself as a college freshman?
The advice that I would give myself is to get involved from the very beginning and make the most of all opportunities that were presented to me. I unfortunately was not active in organizations my freshman year and looking back now wish I would have gotten involved earlier.
What advice would you give a recent graduate?
Advice that I would give a recent graduate is to continue with any further education or certifications they may want to achieve as life continues to get busier and busier, so make the time earlier on to complete. Also I would give the advice to get involved within the company or community with volunteering, holding board positions, donating, etc.
If you could pick up a new skill in an instant what would it be?
If I could pick up a new skill in an instant, I would like to have a more artistic side of drawing as my current abilities max out at stick figures.
Who was your hardest teacher?
My hardest general studies classes were my humanities classes as there was so much information to learn about and be prepared for on the exams. Within my accounting major, the tax classes were challenging and confirmed for me that Tax Accounting would not be my niche.
You just won a cruise to anywhere in the world! Where would you go?
A location that I have wanted to travel to since I was a child is Australia. I have not yet been able to accomplish this goal but know that I will.
Charlie Pride, Jr., Controller
Evansville Water and Sewer Utility
Tell us about your career path in accounting.
From 2004-2014, I worked as a Field Examiner for the Indiana State Board of Accounts as Field Examiner eventually being promoted to an Audit Manager.听 In 2014, I joined their main office in Indianapolis to become their Information Technology Director.听 I left in 2017 to become the Controller of the Evansville Water and Sewer Utility because I missed working in accounting and living in Evansville.
What is your connection to 91社区, and what makes 91社区 special to you?
I graduated with a bachelor's degree听in finance (2004),听bachelor's degree in accounting (2009), and听bachelor's degree听in computer information systems (2013) all from the 91社区.听I started at 91社区 as a transfer student and from day one I enjoyed the small classes and the interaction with the College of Business faculty.听
What advice would you give yourself as a college freshman?
I would tell myself to get more involved.听Try to join College of Business and other organizations and that majoring in accounting results in more job opportunities than majoring in finance.
What advice would you give a recent graduate?
Every accounting position can give you valuable experience and that passing the CPA exam will give you many opportunities.听Becker is an expensive CPA exam review course, but is well worth it.听
What gives you energy when the demands of your career seem overwhelming?
I think that staying organized helps reduce stress.听I do that by planning out what I plan on accomplishing every day, week, and month.听 I also think that giving yourself a moment to celebrate hitting major accomplishments and milestones helps too.听
I also volunteer for the VITA program with the United Way of Southwestern Indiana which helps me contribute my skills to lower income tax payers.听This is a great program that every accounting graduate should think about volunteering. Not only are you helping the community, but it is also a rewarding experience.听
What are some 鈥渞are gems鈥� in Evansville or the surrounding area that you think other people should know about?
I live in Newburgh and our downtown is a nice place to visit.听My favorite restaurant is Moonlite Bar-B-Q in Owensboro, Kentucky. It is well worth the short drive from Evansville.听As far as historic sites go, the Lincoln Boyhood Home in Spencer County, Indiana, is my favorite in the area.听I also think that all baseball fans should go to Bosse Field to catch an Otters game.听
If you could pick up a new skill in an instant what would it be?
I would like to be fluent in Spanish.听It is the second most popular language in the United States, and it would have made my recent vacation to Mexico more enjoyable.听
Who was your hardest teacher?
One of the professors who taught my CIS classes at 91社区.听 I was 31 when I first took one of his courses, but he taught it in a way that was extremely beneficial to my professional growth.听Class participation is a key in all of his courses which helped make me come to class prepared and willing to discuss the material with him and other classmates.听The case studies that he assigned were also very beneficial to improving my analytical skills. I always tell people that his courses were the most challenging and the most rewarding.
You just won a cruise to anywhere in the world! Where would you go?
I am interested in taking a Mediterranean cruise some day so I can see Italy, Spain, and France.听
Published June 25, 2018