Patricia Abell

I attribute my success to continuous learning, hard work, and the meaningful relationships and mentorships I have built throughout my journey. I also believe in the importance of staying humble and embracing the mindset of “lacking and learning” each day, which motivates me to keep growing both personally and professionally.

The best career advice I ever received came from my manager in my very first year at EY. I remember her telling me, 'Why didn't you tell them that? You know, tell them your suggestions. All they can do is say, no, I don't like that idea, or that's silly, or whatever, but they're not going to know that you have this suggestion if you don't put it out there.' That really stuck with me because I had been holding back my ideas. Some of my suggestions have actually worked - even something as simple as creating a spreadsheet that one of the partners I support could use to track something. It was just so simple that she hadn't thought of it because she was going more of the challenging ways. That advice taught me not to be afraid to speak up and share my ideas.

I would tell them to be ready to be a sponge, be ready to just suck it all in, be ready to absorb all you can, and be there with an open mind. Be there with ideas and don't be afraid to make suggestions. All they can do is say no, I don't like that idea, or that's silly, but they're not going to know that you have this suggestion if you don't put it out there. Always have that pen and paper to jot something down - even if it's just a quote that one of your partners or one of the people that you support says something, and you think, oh, that's a good quote. If it sticks in your mind, jot it down so you don't forget, because it sticks in your mind for a reason. I always believe that. When somebody says something to me and I think, oh, that's good, that really hit home, or man, that's a good idea, I may not know where I want to expand on it, but I put it out there. I keep it in the back of my mind, or I jot it down on a piece of paper, or I put it in the email that I send to myself every day. You'll love it if you like meeting people, if you like learning from people, if you like learning about people, if you like learning the cultures and different cultures. The learning aspect just never gets old.

One of the biggest challenges in my field is that women still experience under-recognition and limited opportunities for advancement in certain professional environments. At the same time, there is a growing opportunity through women’s networks, mentorship programs, and leadership initiatives that empower women to accelerate their professional growth, expand their influence, and create more inclusive pathways for future leaders.

Family is the most important thing to me - it always has been. I have 4 grown adult children and 5 grandchildren, and I love spending time with them. My daughter is my youngest and my only girl, and she's my best friend. We talk every day, at least a handful of times. Two of my four children live out of state, one in Charlotte, North Carolina, and the other in Boise, Idaho, so I don't get to see them as often as I like. My husband was my high school sweetheart, and we were together for 45 years, married for 41. He passed away in January of this year from colon cancer, and I miss him like crazy, but I know that he's not suffering. When I'm not with family, I'm usually either scrapbooking because I believe in pictures - I take pictures like crazy and develop them the old-fashioned way to make scrapbooks. I also like doing 1,000-piece jigsaw puzzles. I have 3 dogs who keep me company and listen to me talk all day since I work from home. I'm also passionate about two causes: colon cancer and autism. I focus my energy on looking for solutions and possible changes. I'm really big with autism because I have a grandson who is nonverbal autistic, and I think there's more out there that can be done, not just medically but within society. There are things that need to be done to protect these children, and the education aspect needs to focus more on each individual child and what they're facing rather than just being about the number.