Patti Thoma, CPA
Patti Thoma, CPA, is a seasoned finance and operations leader serving as Consulting Chief Financial Officer within Client Accounting and Advisory Services at CLA (CliftonLarsonAllen) in the Greater Milwaukee area. With a career spanning decades in healthcare finance, she specializes in helping small and mid-sized healthcare organizations strengthen financial performance, improve operational efficiency, and navigate complex accounting and regulatory environments. Patti is known for her ability to translate financial data into clear, strategic insights that support better decision-making and long-term organizational success.
Throughout her career, Patti has built deep expertise in healthcare and dental finance, including roles in controllership, regional financial leadership, and corporate accounting across organizations such as dental support systems and pain management networks. Her background includes extensive work in financial reporting, mergers and acquisitions, internal controls, treasury management, audit and compliance, and compensation structures for healthcare providers. Prior to her current role, she held senior leadership positions including Controller at ADVENT and Director of Accounting and Finance at Advanced Pain Management, where she helped guide organizations through periods of rapid growth and operational change. Her long tenure in healthcare finance also includes leadership roles within Blue Cross and Blue Shield-affiliated organizations, where she supported large-scale financial reporting and system integration efforts.
A proud graduate of Marquette University, Patti earned her Bachelor of Science in Accounting and became a Certified Public Accountant in Wisconsin early in her career. She is widely respected for her leadership, mentorship, and ability to build high-performing teams, as well as her skill in facilitating collaboration among diverse stakeholders. Grounded in a belief that accounting is the “language of business,” Patti continues to bring clarity, structure, and strategic insight to the healthcare organizations she supports, helping them strengthen both their financial foundations and their long-term impact.
• CPA
• Marquette University - BS, Accounting
• Elijah Watt Sell Certificate with High Distinction for CPA Exam Results
• Wisconsin Institute of CPAs
• American Institute of CPAs
• Tutoring disadvantaged children (past)
• Interest in supporting disadvantaged kids
• Developmentally disabled adults
• And literacy
What do you attribute your success to?
I'm thankful for my education every day and for the mentors that have helped me out along the way. I've worked with good organizations that helped to support me and give me opportunities to work in a number of different areas, so I was never bored. I feel like my recipe to success is always trying to understand both the big picture and how the details connect. My analytical abilities have been a huge success factor in making sure that I consistently communicate the vision of the organization, so I understand the vision of the organization and communicate that vision consistently, cascading the message. The tenacity of never giving up and having determination to work things all the way through has been critical. And also extremely important is teamwork - 100% working as a team. Making sure that my team understands the vision of the organization and the difference that they make, the impact of their work. I think that's so powerful. If the leader on a team has really got the team engaged, understanding the vision and their role, and the importance that the work they do has in the success of the organization and how it impacts the organization.
What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
I would say to always lean in and try to help, and not to be apprehensive or, you know, have confidence in the knowledge that you bring, and always don't be afraid to lean in to help out businesses and do your best to succeed. Because I think a lot of times we bring a lot more knowledge to the table than we realize.
What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I would say that you can do it. Have confidence in yourself. Lean on others within the organization. Make sure that you're reaching out to have a mentor - I think that's really important that you're connecting yourself with others that can give you good advice. Don't try to do it alone. If you're concerned about something in your organization, make sure you raise your hand and try to connect yourself with others and work as a team.
What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
Right now, AI is having an enormous impact, and the accounting profession is quickly changing because of AI. I think it's going to be more important for people to have those insights and be able to see the big picture and understand how systems and how AI is working in the future. It's even more important, not only to have technical skills, but to really understand that big picture, because a lot of the things that were more data entry driven tasks, those are going to be taken over by AI. But we still need people that understand the big picture and the systems and that can direct those processes and make sure that things are still being done correctly.
What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
For me, what I want to do in my work and personal life is to make a difference, to make this world better, help my businesses that I work with to succeed, and just do good things in society. When I think about my strengths, I've always leaned on my analytical ability to communicate and just my determination and tenacity to never give up and really stay the course to complete what needs to be done. Most importantly to me is to communicate and make sure I'm helping other people and making a difference.