Suzanne Bongiovanni
Suzanne Bongiovanni, CFE, CICA, CGFM is an Audit Senior at Williams, Adley & Company-DC, LLP, where she specializes in compliance audits for government contractors. Working remotely from Pennsylvania, she serves as a watchdog for taxpayer dollars—examining contracts, reviewing invoices, and ensuring funds awarded by agencies such as the Department of Defense and HUD are spent in accordance with federal regulations. With a strong focus on identifying fraud, waste, and abuse (FWA), Bongiovanni brings diligence, analytical precision, and integrity to every engagement, helping safeguard public resources and strengthen accountability.
Bongiovanni began her accounting career in 2021 after earning her Bachelor’s degree in Forensic Accounting from DeSales University. She transitioned from staff accounting into audit and was promoted to Senior Auditor within just a few years, reflecting both her technical expertise and leadership potential. She holds multiple professional credentials, including Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE) through the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners and Certified Government Financial Manager (CGFM) through the Association of Government Accountants, and is currently a CPA candidate. Her certifications underscore her deep commitment to ethical standards, internal controls, and excellence in government auditing.
A participant in her firm’s Future Leaders Program, Bongiovanni is mentored by a senior partner as she prepares for continued advancement into management. After dedicating nearly two decades to raising her children before launching her accounting career, she approaches her profession with maturity, resilience, and purpose. Guided by strong faith, honesty, and courage, Bongiovanni is passionate about continuous learning and teaching others—building a career defined not only by technical proficiency, but by principled leadership and service.
• Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE)
• DeSales University
• Future Leaders Program
• Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE)
• Volunteer Accounting Services for Local Fire Company
What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to my faith. It's honestly my faith. God keeps me driven, God keeps me encouraged. You can never be lonely when you're never alone. You also can't have fear and faith at the same time. If you're feeling afraid, that means you don't have your faith on you, so wrap yourself up in it. My faith gives me the courage to keep pushing forward and reaching higher, even when things seem scary or uncertain.
What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I ever received was to never stop learning and never stop growing. Ask all the questions. My middle daughter gave me some of the best advice when I was hesitating about starting college. She told me to take one class, even if I didn't do well in it, just to get started and get my feet wet. She said even if you don't do the full program right away, take one class and just get started when you said you would. That advice really stuck with me, and it's what I now share with others. Even if you take one class every other semester, by the time you're ready to fully commit, you'll already be halfway done.
What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Get all the certificates that you can, and ask for help when you need it. A lot of women are afraid to get into accounting because they think it's very heavy on math, but it's not. They are already good at it, they just don't know it yet. Don't let fear of the unknown hold you back. I also think accounting has a bad rep that it's boring, which it isn't. My big thing has always been: if your dream does not scare you, if you're not too afraid to try, you're not dreaming big enough. Dream bigger. Don't make your goal something you know you can achieve. Go higher. I didn't take that really good advice for myself for a long time, but once I did, everything changed.
What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
I'm not really sure why there's so few people getting into accounting. I think maybe it has a bad reputation that it's boring, which it isn't. A lot of women are afraid to get into accounting because they think it's very heavy on math, but it's not heavy on math at all. I think the biggest challenge is overcoming that fear of the unknown and helping people realize they're already good at accounting, they just don't know it yet. There's a real opportunity to bring more people, especially women, into this field by breaking down those misconceptions.
What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Honesty is probably number one for me, both in my work as an auditor and in my personal life. I would also say courage is incredibly important to me. I don't know if that's really a value, but honesty is definitely the key for me. Being honest with myself about what I want and what I'm capable of, and being honest with others in all my dealings, that's what guides everything I do.