Meet the Chapter President: Wendy Butler, CPA
For TSCPA West Tennessee Chapter President Wendy Butler, CPA, her dedication to her family was what led her to a career as a CPA. “My junior year of high school, God blessed me with my two eldest sons,” she says. “I put all of my focus on them for the first few years of their lives. When the twins started preschool, I decided it was time to work on me again.” Butler enrolled in a community college and registered for several business classes. “My first day in Accounting 101, I knew what I wanted to do! Now 15 years later, I love being a CPA and can’t think of anything I would do differently.”
Tell us a little about yourself, your family and where you grew up.
I grew up in Missouri but live in Newbern, Tennessee, with my husband of 19 years and our four children. My eldest sons are twins; one is a United States Marine and the other is working to become one. My youngest son is still in high school, and my daughter (the ruler of our nest) is in middle school.
What do you do now, and why did you choose to become a CPA?
I am a senior accountant with CRS CPAs in West Tennessee. In my younger years, I was dead set on going to law school to become a prosecuting attorney. Little did I know, my future held bigger things … My junior year of high school, God blessed me with my two eldest sons. Knowing I wanted to have the means to provide for them, I took a GED options course through my high school while I was still pregnant. I put all of my focus on them for the first few years of their lives. When the twins started preschool, I decided it was time to work on me again. After determining law school was not going to be the best direction anymore, I walked into a local community college and registered for a few core business classes. My first day in Accounting 101, I knew what I wanted to do! Now 15 years later, I love being a CPA and can’t think of anything I would do differently.
What do you like most about your job?
My favorite thing about my job is every client! I like getting to know them personally and helping them on every level, whether it’s assisting our small business owners with fiscal decisions or easing their worries and concerns through ensuring they stay compliant with various laws and regulations. In addition, I love teaching staff members how to better serve our clients.
What do you like to do in your spare time?
In my spare time, I love to be outside. I enjoy hiking, camping, anything involving outdoor water (tubing, canoeing, kayaking, etc.)! I am an outdoor runner (don’t care for the dreaded treadmill running). I find running to be a wonderful way to shake off the day, preparing my mind for breaking the line between work and home.
What’s the biggest challenge you’ve had to overcome, or what’s been your most significant success?
Professionally, my biggest challenge (and success) has been passing the CPA exam. I’d gone through high school and college with a perfect GPA, never failing, and expected THE EXAM to be the same. It wasn’t, but it definitely taught me it is okay to fail sometimes as long as you don’t give up. The three little letters after my name make the biggest challenge my most significant success. Without them, I wouldn’t be where I am today. I love what I do and those I serve.
What’s the best piece of advice you ever received?
I had a teacher in high school tell me once to “not give up on myself, to work hard and be honest, and I will find my way to good things.” Of course, at that time, I thought it was just something teachers had to say to make you feel they were on your side. Now, on the tough days, I find myself thinking more and more, “work hard and be honest.” It reminds me that good things can come out of everything.
What has changed the most since you entered the profession, and what do you see changing the most in the next 5-10 years?
The most significant change I have seen has been in technology. Cloud-based work has made work-life balance much easier. Being able to rely on having access to your firm/client data from anywhere you are has definitely been a game changer. The automation of various functions in the accountant’s world has freed up our time to provide more value-added services to assist our clients in better decision making and business planning.
What is something most people would be surprised to know about you?
Most people are extremely surprised to learn that I have jumped out of a perfectly good airplane for fun! My immediate response is always, “I’d rather jump out of a perfectly functioning airplane willingly than be forced out of a not-so-perfect one.”
This article was originally published in the September/October 2023 Tennessee CPA Journal.