(Virtual-Free) Student/Career Night: Starting out in Accounting Fields
Tuesday, October 21, 2025- 2 hrs. CPE
When: Tues Oct. 21, 2025 from 6:00 to 8:00 PM (Pacific Time)
6:00 to 6:20 - Networking
In-Person Watch Parties starting at 5:00 pm at IMA AZVOTS Student Chapters:
ASU: Business Administration Building Room 265
GCU: College of Business, Building 42, Room 220
NAU: Room 345 in the Franke College of Business (FCB)
6:20 to 7:10 –Starting out in Public Accounting by Tiffany Watts, CPA - Managing Director, Connor Group
Synopsis
Tiffany will be speaking on the value of an accounting degree as a foundation for success across the business world. She will discuss how starting a career in public accounting builds versatile skills and will share her own career path as an example of how these experiences can open doors to diverse opportunities.
Learning Objectives:
- - Recognize the foundational value of an accounting degree in building a successful and adaptable career across various sectors of the business world.
- - Understand how early experience in public accounting cultivates versatile skills applicable to a wide range of professional roles.
- - Analyze Tiffany’s career journey to identify how accounting expertise can lead to diverse and unexpected opportunities beyond traditional finance roles.
7:10 to 8:00 – Starting out in Management Accounting by Charles Tayler, CMA - Senior Manager Financial Planning Analysis at Georgia Pacific
Synopsis
Charles Tayler, CMA and Senior Manager of Financial Planning & Analysis at Georgia-Pacific, shares insights from his career journey, highlighting how his college studies influenced his entry into the field. He discusses the value of earning a professional certification, specifically the CMA, and how it has shaped his career growth and skillset. Charles offers real-world examples of applying CMA concepts on the job and reflects on emerging technology trends in finance, sharing strategies for staying current in a rapidly evolving landscape. His perspective provides practical guidance for those considering or beginning a career in management accounting.
Learning Objectives:
- - Explore how academic choices and early career decisions shape long-term professional pathways in accounting and finance.
- - Evaluate the impact of professional certifications like the CMA on career advancement, skill development, and job performance.
- - Identify current technology trends in the accounting field and strategies professionals use to stay informed and adaptable in a changing landscape.
2 hours CPE- Field of Study: Personal Development (non-technical): Career Planning
Location: Virtual
Online Instructions: (Register below to get the Link to the meeting-mailed out 2 days and also 1 hour before)
Photography: By registering for this event, you agree and acknowledge that IMA® (Institute of Management Accountants) along with its partners, subcontractors, or affiliates plan to take photographs at the AZ Valley of the Sun Chapter event or reproduction in educational, news, or promotional material, whether in print, electronic, or other media including IMA and IMA’s affiliate partner websites. By participating in the AZ Valley of the Sun Chapter event you grant IMA and any of its designated subcontractors, partners, or affiliates the right to your name and image (both photographs) for such purposes.
Liability Waiver: By registering for this event, you agree and acknowledge that you are undertaking participation in IMA® (Institute of Management Accountants) events and activities as your own free and intentional act, and you are fully aware that possible physical injury might occur to you as a result of your participation in these events. You give this acknowledgment freely and knowingly that you are able to participate in IMA events, and you do hereby assume responsibility for your own well-being.