Emily Anne Schramm
Emily (Schramm) Belle, She/Her, is a finance professional whose career began in an unexpected place in a casino in Montana, where she worked immediately after high school as a bartender and cocktail waitress. In that environment, she developed an early interest in money management by assisting with tracking cash flow from gaming machines and supporting daily financial handling operations. That experience sparked a lasting interest in finance, which led her into banking, where she spent approximately five years as a vault teller with U.S. Bank in their main hub branch. In that role, she was responsible for high-volume cash operations, including managing significant monetary instruments and supporting statewide banking needs. During this time, she also gained additional operational experience working on casino count teams in Central City and Black Hawk, Colorado, further strengthening her foundation in cash handling and financial controls.
Originally starting her academic journey with a passion for veterinary medicine, Emily pursued work as a veterinary assistant before realizing her long-term path was not in animal care. Midway through college, she transitioned her focus to business and finance, redirecting her studies toward accounting and financial operations. Her personal journey also included stepping away from the workforce to raise her son, spending approximately five years as a dedicated stay-at-home mother. Following this hiatus, she re-entered the professional world with a renewed focus and commitment to growth in finance and accounting, bringing with her both life experience and a strengthened sense of purpose.
Today, Emily serves as Associate Controller with Compass Group at Stetson University Dining Services, where she manages full financial operations for a multi-unit $6M+ dining program. She oversees daily financial activity including sales tracking, double-entry bookkeeping, monthly and weekly closes, budgeting, and forecasting across residential dining, retail operations such as Starbucks and Einstein Bros., concessions, catering, and campus vending. As the sole finance professional on site, she is responsible for all accounting and financial governance functions, serving as the central point for operational finance across the campus dining enterprise. Her work reflects a continued commitment to accuracy, accountability, and growth within complex financial environments.
• Coursework in Business & Biology
• Purdue Global (formerly Kaplan University) - BBA
• 2024 Living the Brand Award from Compass Group for leadership and operational impact
• Recognition award from U.S. Bank for catching fraudulent checks
• Supporter of Human Rights Campaign
• Supporter of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
What do you attribute your success to?
I mean, my support system that has been with me along the way is huge, but at the end of the day, I attribute it to myself. And I know that might sound selfish, but life has been really, really tough, and I've overcome a lot. I think that at the end of the day, you can put your mind to anything, and you can do anything you put your mind to. I've gone through this journey of healing in my life, and learning to stand up for myself, and place boundaries, and say no. It's been really rewarding, and yeah, I continue to grow in that way every day. At the end of the day, it's just the work you put in.
What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
To stay adaptable and keep learning, even when the path isn’t linear. Emily’s journey reflects the importance of being open to change and embracing new opportunities as they arise.
What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I would say to not be intimidated, and it is typically a male-dominated industry, and so to just stand firm in your boundaries and believe in yourself. Remember that sometimes the system can be biased, and you just have to keep yourself and your standards at the forefront of everything that you do. I'm learning along the way, but I think that's important advice for where I am today.
What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The biggest challenge for me right now is managing my profit and loss statement with the current economy, inflation, CPI, all of those things you're trying to manage and still be profitable. That's difficult. And I'm the only person in my field currently at our location, so anything finance-related falls in my lap, which makes time off hard. On the flip side, there's just growth opportunities everywhere. Because I work on an academic calendar, I have the opportunity to visit other accounts over the summer and learn, especially at bigger accounts. There's always more to learn and more to help out with. Compass, the company that I work with, is huge and we're just growing, so the opportunities are endless.
What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
I think dependability is one of the most important values to me - just being dependable and showing up is something that I value, and I think it's just important. Attention to detail is also something that I've valued and that's important in my job. It's also about balance, though. I've learned that sometimes you can't be too attentive in your home life. Sometimes you have to let go of control a little bit. My son is the biggest one who taught me this lesson. But yeah, I think that in general, just being dependable for the people in your life who are counting on you, that's most important, and that definitely does go both personally and professionally.