Carmen Jeschke is proof positive that the road you begin on may not be the one on which you end. Carmen started a career as a journalist after graduating from San Diego State University with a bachelor’s degree in journalism. She had a 10-year career in journalism in Portland, Oregon, Tucson, AZ and Eureka, CA. Marriage and motherhood weren’t exactly compatible with the demands of journalism and our current 24-hour news cycle. Carmen and her husband were both broadcast journalists, so it seemed impractical for two parents to be chasing stories with a youngster who had his own set of needs. So Carmen did something many of us did not learn to do until the COVID-19 pandemic. She pivoted.
For a long time, she had been told that she had a knack for numbers. She took an accounting class in high school where her teacher confirmed that she was quite good with numbers, but she had her heart set on journalism. When the family landed in the San Francisco Bay Area they were able to settle in Tracy, CA where her father owned and operated a small janitorial services business. Carmen’s knack for numbers permitted her to handle bookkeeping for her dad. But it was when her husband was offered an anchor position at Madison’s WKOW, Channel 27, the family transitioned to life in Wisconsin. Here Carmen began taking accounting courses at Madison Area Technical College (now Madison College). She earned an associate’s degree there and went on to become a Certified Public Accountant.
She started her CPA career working for Porter & Sack, CPAs (now Lucida) and made it clear that her role as a mother was job number one. The firm allowed her to organize her work life around the priorities she set as a parent and the fit was excellent. Today Carmen serves as the Vice President of Finance and Operations for the Madison Community Foundation (MCF) where she leads the management and growth of the foundation’s $450 million in assets. She has 20 years of accounting experience and holds certifications in non-profit management from the University of Nevada-Reno and foundations of management from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Carmen first got into the non-profit sector while in Nevada where she worked in marketing for the local Girl Scouts chapter. But her work at MCF was a very different challenge. After her son completed high school, she was able to work full time and was hired by the Foundation about 5 years ago. She made a point of saying, “I didn’t go the traditional route, but I still got there,” which reflects the advice she would give to a young person who is unsure how to pursue a career path. She points out that “Madison is the longest place I’ve ever lived,” since she grew up in a military family—her dad was a member of the US Airforce—and was used to moving every few years.
Additional advice she would give to a young person who might want to pursue a career in finance includes pointing out how important it is to do your research. According to Carmen the financial field is over 80% White, 9% Asian descent, 8% Hispanic/Latinx and only 5% Black. Thus, young people going into this field will need to “build a support network and seek out others for advice and support.” She was adamant about how important it is to “look for someone who looks like you!” She sought mentors and support from the National Association of Black Accountants. She also pointed out how important it is for individuals to “not let someone else define your worth.” To do that you must “build your confidence, speak up for yourself, and build your own career. If possible, consider working for a Black accounting firm.” Jeschke shared that her inspiration for accounting comes from both her acumen with numbers along with the pioneering work of Mary Thelma Washington, the first Black woman to earn a CPA license in the US back in 1943. Today, the firm that Washington was able to found in 1939 is Washington, Pittman & McKeever, LLC, one of the largest Black owned financial accounting and consulting firms in the US that sits proudly on Chicago’s “Magnificent Mile” in Chicago, IL. We hope one of our young readers will follow Jeschke’s advice and chart a path for themselves that may not be traditional but will still get them there!
