Meet an Auditor: Wendy Lewis

From growing up in a small town to working as a Partner at KPMG, Wendy Lewis overcame many hurdles on her road to a successful career in audit. Her story shows that your starting point does not determine your destination. You can discover her story with our Share Your Road portal.

Like most students, Wendy Lewis found it tricky to pick her major, but she knew she wanted to get out of her small town and experience city life. After taking an accounting class in High School, Wendy decided to attend Virginia Union University, a Historically Black College or University (HBCU), where she earned a bachelor’s degree in Accounting. 

Wendy had Ruth Coles Harris, the first black woman to receive her CPA in the state of Virginia, serve as her accounting advisor and mentor. Coles Harris helped Wendy improve as an accountant, and showed her how important it is to champion her peers from HBCUs. 

After graduating, Wendy got her first job at KPMG. Over 21 years later, she’s a Partner at the firm. That’s a success story!

Though it seems like she lives an auditor’s dream, she had her fair share of challenges to overcome. As a woman and a minority, it was often difficult to feel like she fit in at her male-dominated firm, but she persevered. Now, Wendy uses her past doubts to motivate her.

Going from a small town to a big firm is a huge jump, but Wendy made it work. The transition made her feel like she constantly had to prove herself because there weren’t a lot of people like her at her firm. Now, she knows she’s where she belongs. 

What advice does Wendy have for future auditors?

• Be outgoing and be yourself- auditing requires a lot of communication.
• Be confident! 
• Gain as many technical skills as you can.
• Always be empathetic- people skills are key. 

If you want to know more about Wendy Lewis and her inspiring journey, check out her Share Your Road profile.