Her Story
About Maria
I started my career working for a sole practitioner CPA while in college, which really drove me to finish my bachelor's in accounting because I enjoyed the accounting piece of things. After leaving public accounting, I went into the corporate world and worked for companies like GlaxoSmithKline, TV Guide magazine, and the Solvay group for a number of years. At Solvay, I started as a staff accountant and when I left, I was their finance manager. I then moved to smaller companies, working for a machining company for a year, then spent about 11 years in logistics before finding my way back to manufacturing at Intellects, where I am now the controller. In my current role, I'm in charge of all things accounting - I handle accounts receivable, accounts payable, treasury, the month-end closing process, the annual audit, and the annual tax return. I work closely with all the other departments for any needs that they may have. I'm your typical corporate controller, and I kind of like being a controller because I like being hands deep in the day-to-day operations. Beyond my corporate work, I also have two small businesses that I'm developing right now because I want to come out of the shadow of just being a controller for an organization and be more of an entrepreneur, creating something that can grow after me and help my family.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Maria
01What do you attribute your success to?
I think my whole upbringing really makes me a good manager, because I grew up in my Catholic faith and I lost my father at a young age. I had a strong mother who raised myself and my brother by herself from when I was young, and I think that is a big part of why I am who I am as a manager, because I have compassion for people. I really believe that my faith and my upbringing created that part of me, because I really care about the people who I work with and who work for me. I've also been fortunate to have some amazing mentors in my life. The very first CPA who I worked for right out of college really pushed me forward and made me the accountant that I am today. Knowing him is really what pushed me into where I am today. And my manager from Solvay, Francis Ezuzo, who is a Nigerian immigrant who came to the U.S. and went to Seton Hall, has been my biggest hero and my biggest supporter in my career.
02What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I would say, just do the best work you possibly can, because in accounting, that's really what it's about. Know your stuff. If you don't understand something, ask your manager a question. And be confident in yourself. I don't look at challenges as a male-female thing, I look at it as it's a person thing. As you grow in your career, you learn that you run into just good managers and bad managers, and it doesn't matter if it's male or female. I've had a really bad female manager in my younger years, like right out of college, and I swore at that point that I would not be that kind of a manager. So I feel like, as you grow in your career, you learn.
03What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
My Catholic faith and my upbringing are central to who I am. I have compassion for people and I really care about the people who I work with and who work for me. I believe it's important to do something that you enjoy doing, because if you don't enjoy what you do, I don't think you're gonna be successful. I also value helping others, which is why I started a laundry service that's really kind of an outreach service too, where we're helping people who just can't do it themselves, like an elderly woman who can't do her own laundry and a gentleman who is blind. I'm looking for something that can help my daughter who's on the spectrum as she gets older, to be able to do something that's in the house that she can take care of herself with. I want to have a business that can grow after me and help my family more, leaving a legacy.
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