In this episode of Life In Accounting: The Where Accountants Go podcast, we speak with Holly Raymond, Senior Vice President of Finance with Upbring.

Public Accounting Life

Holly began her career working in public accounting with one of the Big 4. One of the great things about this type of work is you get to see how companies operate and function from the inside – both the great, and the not so great! Holly calls this the “gypsy lifestyle” because you are working with a new client every other week.

Holly started with Ernst & Young. She loved both the people and the work. It was here that she began falling in love with the cultures of not-for-profits. After several years Holly joined Maxwell, Locke, & Ritter and as a mother, she really enjoyed their flexibility and supporting of not-for-profits.

Not-for-Profit Life

Holly moved to Big Brothers and Big Sisters (BBBS) Central Texas later on as a part-time VP of Finance, and BBBS allowed her to contribute as a leader, but in a part-time role, supporting a mission that she was passionate about. A few years later she moved on to her current organization, Upbring, and she couldn’t be happier! She is the Senior VP of Finance over all facilities… she has a team of 20!

One of the aspects of working at Upbring that Holly loves the most is working with amazing people who are passionate about what they do each and every day.

Surviving Adversity

In another key segment of this interview towards the end, Holly shares a personal story of a health scare she had a few years back and how she made it through successfully on both the personal and career levels. Make sure you listen to this episode all the way to the end. There is much we can learn from Holly’s recollection of that period of her life.

(Related interviews on similar topics:  Dana McCartney from MLR, and Harriet Helme – surviving adversity)

To listen in on this interview with Holly Raymond, please use the player below: