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Eddy Parker

Technical Manager, FVS Section
AICPA (that’s us)
Durham, NC

 

Unconventional? Well, even setting aside the fact that Eddy Parker has chickens as pets, thinks a 60-mile bike ride is a fun little diversion, and will probably call you “dude” the first time you meet him, there’s the fact that he’s in accounting and doesn’t even have a calculator on his desk.

In his position as technical manager at the American Institute of CPAs, “I answer technical questions and questions about valuation/fair value,” he says. “I also help organize conferences and develop educational materials and manage the ABV Credential.” And none of it requires the kind of heavy number-crunching you might expect.

Even stranger, want to guess what Eddy’s first job out of high school was? Maitre d’ at a swanky club in North Carolina. Also weird: his name means “swirling vortex of water,” and he still managed to get a job as a river rafting guide. These days he continues his aquatic adventures just about every weekend. Eddy is a competitive sailor and races his 36-foot sailboat in the Pamlico Sound, sailing as far south as Key West.

One guess what Eddy likes most about his career path. “I’m always working on something different,” he says, adding “and for the most part I’m self-directed.” Big shocker, right?

If that sounds like your thing, you may want to take Eddy’s advice. “Always envision where you want to be, and then figure out the best way to ‘get ‘er done,’” he says. Oh, and one more thing: “Dude, you can always find a job if you’re a CPA.”

Got questions of your own? Ask a CPA.