Vanessa Teitelbaum
Senior Director, Professional Practice
Center for Audit Quality
Washington, DC USA
“How you make someone FEEL is critical to success.”
Milestones
My road in life took a while to figure out.
After graduating from a liberal arts college with a degree in Asian Studies, I didn't know what I wanted to do. I worked at a Japanese bank without any accounting or business background.
I got my Masters in Accounting at NYU and was hired by a Big 4 accounting firm at the same time (they supported the program - it was joint work / study). The program was geared for liberal arts majors.
I worked at PwC for 14 years and worked in numerous industries including banking, mortgage banking, middle markets, and technology.
During my 14 years I lived in upstate NY for 6 years while working in the NYC office when my husband went to graduate school. My two kids were born during this time.
I left PwC and joined a small local accounting firm when my kids were little. I learned a lot but ultimately found my Big 4 background wasn't quite the right fit.
I went to a regional accounting firm for 3 years. This was a better fit. I loved auditing and client service, but after many years on the road and many busy seasons I sought a different opportunity.
I joined the Center for Audit Quality. It's related to auditing but it's not directly auditing financial statements / client service. It's a different experience which I enjoy.
Education
Career
Senior Director, Professional Practice
I help the auditing profession convene and collaborate to solve problems facing the profession
Career Roadmap
My work combines:
My work combines:
Business
Education
Accomplishing Goals
Day to Day
I may be in my office working on a project which often involves a good amount of writing. I work on comment letter responses to proposed SEC rules or PCAOB auditing standards. I often have large task force or committee meetings and those take time to prepare for - prepare the agenda, advanced materials, etc. For a project - a comment letter or publication - I will often solicit comments from the task force and use their input to make revisions. I also attend conferences and other events.
Advice for Getting Started
Here's the first step for high school students
You need to have an accounting degree - research schools that offer both liberal arts type classes as well as the accounting requirements you need. There are many courses - such as psychology and history - that are important to be well-rounded, but you also need to pass the CPA exam. Doing an internship is a great way to get a taste for the career. Talk to people in the field.
Recommended Education
My career is not related to what I studied. I'd recommend this path instead:
Bachelor
Undergraduate business degree/major
Undergraduate business degree/major
Hurdles
The Noise I Shed
From Friends:
"Being a CPA will pigeon hole you into accounting, which you might not want in the future."
Challenges I Overcame
Family/Motherhood
