When Allison took her first accounting class at Manhattan College, the gender divide in the room was three women out of ten classmates. In addition to mostly male peers, Allison also had an all male line-up of instructors, with the exception of her audit professor – who was a woman! With classes full of men, and men teaching the classes, she assumed she would face the same type of situation once she began her career in earnest.
A key observation
Allison was mentally prepared to work harder than her male colleagues to make a positive impression in a male-dominated profession. She was ready to tackle any challenges, but to her surprise, at SobelCo she found great many women influencers and mentors! Her direct reports are all women, including the partner in charge of the Nonprofit Practice, Bridget Hartnett, as well as Tara DelGavio, a partner in the practice group, and Kristen Crouchelli, a senior manager on the nonprofit team.
Gender aside, everyone has their own perspectives and their own opportunities and their own challenges to address, and Allison points out that we need to understand this – embrace it – and see each other through a broader lens.
Words of advice
Based on her own experience, Allison reminds the young women who are taking steps towards an accounting career path to have an open mind and refrain from making premature judgements. Just as she was a victim of her own expectations, she suggests that you don’t get discouraged or anticipate a problem. If you are challenged, you can try to find a positive solution, but you just never know what lies ahead.
Even though she expected an entirely different experience, she is thrilled to have met so many inspiring women and men at SobelCo!
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