Speaker: Jennifer Neal, Chief Financial Officer, Church of God Ministries
Jennifer Neal: Hello. My name is Jennifer Neal. I'm the Chief Financial Officer for Church of God Ministries in Anderson, Indiana.
Why is it important for CPAs in corporate finance to maintain their license?
Jennifer Neal: I think it's very important for a CPA to maintain their license when they're transitioning out of public accounting and into corporate or nonprofit or governmental accounting. It gives you the credibility and it keeps doors open for you as you try to transition and work your way up the ladder. I am from the position that I never worked in public accounting. So, my CPA license from the beginning has allowed me to work in industry, grow through being a controller and up to a CFO, and it really comes down to people still trust the CPA license. I don't have to sign my name as a CPA, but it definitely helps me as I am recruiting people to work in my department.
What are your tips for getting support from your employer to maintain your license?
Jennifer Neal: Some tips for getting support from your employer is to remind them that not only is it important for you to maintain your license for your credibility, but it also gives the organization credibility, that they have a CPA in the top tier of their organization or as their controller. It's important to ask the organization to help you pay for that license since they are also benefiting from that. So I've been able to negotiate that my annual dues for the AICPA and the Indiana CPA Society be covered even though I'm at a nonprofit. Also, I have a balance or a budget number that I'm able to use to work through my CPE. Now, I always try to find the most economical way to accomplish that, but I do get a stipend in the budget that will allow me to do that and that comes from acting and negotiating when you start to get into your role.
