Senior Associate
KPMG Advisory Services
Indianapolis, IN
Casey Mangano has seen her share of fraud.
When she was a college student at Miami University, she saw several major corporate scandals. “They had a serious impact on people’s finances, and created a greater need for accountants,” she says. “That’s why I chose accounting as my major – it’s a versatile career, and one that’s in demand.”
After school, she became a forensic accountant for KPMG where her job was to sniff out accounting fraud. Casey chose a unique niche in the accounting field. Being a forensic accountant is a little like being a detective – and the job changes constantly. “One day I could help a client with a major fraud investigation, and the next I could travel overseas to analyze a company for corrupt practices,” she says. Wherever there was a hint of corruption, Casey was on the scene.
After a few years in forensics, Casey decided to try a different side of accounting. She wanted something with a little more flexibility. “Every day is a new adventure,” she says. Now she works primarily with public sector, higher education and not-for-profit clients. “We help these clients with their end-to-end business processes, including assessing their current state business processes, identifying their future state (where they want to be) and coming up with a plan and recommendations on how to get them to their future state,” she says.
Who knows what her next move will be? One thing’s certain, she knows that being a CPA means constantly having a variety of job choices and always being in demand. “Regardless of the economy, CPAs will always be necessary, and the profession is very secure. There will be a constant need for CPAs to determine the reasonableness of financial information.”
Years as a CPA: 5
Hobbies outside of work: Volunteering with the Indiana Sports Corporation, running, tennis, softball, reading, going to the movies
Words to live by: "Life is too short. Do what you love."