062: Sheila Enriquez, JD CPA CFF of Briggs & Veselka Co.

Sheila Enriquez JD, CPA, CFF, joined us for this week’s episode of Life In Accounting: The Where Accountants Go podcast!

Education and Early Career

Sheila came to the US on a student visa with only $500. Her mentor at Mercy College suggested that she take some accounting courses, pursue a CPA, and work as a graduate assistant in their department. This initial influence got her started on her journey into the accounting profession.

She pursued her MBA and passed the CPA exam after earning a Master’s degree. Her first job in accounting was actually as a fractional CFO (!) with a consulting firm that provided accounting and risk management consulting.

Law and Forensics

Law was an interest of Sheila’s, and she did well on that part of the CPA exam as well. She began attending Roger Williams University in Rhode Island where she had received a scholarship. While working and attending law school, she found that doing both concurrently benefitted her pursuit of law knowledge. She decided on this route because she enjoyed using both her law knowledge and her accounting background in her work life.

Landing in Texas

Sheila and her family moved to Texas to be closer to loved ones, plus the lower cost of living didn’t hurt. She decided to accept a position with Briggs & Veselka Co.. The company was true to their word and allowed Sheila a flexible schedule. She has enjoyed continued success with the firm, becoming a partner in 2010 and steadily moving up. She was recently elected to be the managing shareholder effective October 2019.

Community Involvement

Sheila will tell you that Briggs & Veselka is a group that encourages participation in the field both at the local level as well as the state level. The firm advocates fostering excellence, inspiring confidence, making a difference, and discovering the best in themselves and others. Community involvement with professional groups is an excellent way to develop leadership skills and network with like-minded professionals. In fact, Johnny Veselka (retired partner at Briggs & Veselka) encouraged her to initially get involved with the Houston CPA Society where she now serves on the board.

Sheila also shares her hopes for the profession near the end of the program, but you’ll need to listen to the audio for all of those insights.

I hope you enjoy listening to the episode as much as we did recording it!

We will see you next week! There’s more to come…