Clarence is a director based in our Roanoke office with over 20 years of public accounting experience in audits and consulting. He specializes in information technology controls and employee benefit plans, in addition to having worked in the financial institution area. He is a member of the firm’s peer review services team, providing reviews to regional public accounting firms around the country.
He is also a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), a Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA), and a Certified Information Technology Professional (CITP).
We interviewed Clarence to get to know him outside of her profession, and we were surprised to learn that his father was a CPA. In middle and high school, he was pretty determined not to be a CPA due to his father's work hours, etc., especially during the busy season. Fortunately, he changed his mind before heading off to college.
Where are you from and where did you grow up?
Born in Roanoke Virginia. Lived in Boones Mill, Lynchburg, and Richmond as I was growing up.
What do you like to do in your free time and who do you like to spend it with?
I like spending time with family. I am into computer strategy games and learning more about technology during my free time in addition to family activities.
What's the next place on your travel bucket list and what will you do there?
Grand Canyon. Last time my wife and I went to Las Vegas we had a tour trip planned to there, but the company cancelled, so it is still on our bucket list.
What's the last book you read or what is your favorite book/series you ever read and why?
Currently re-reading some old Douglas Adams books that I hadn't read in over 20 years. I find that re-reading books I haven't read in a long time gives me different perspectives on them after significant time passes so I try to set aside at least some time each year to do this What originally interested me in this author was that he had a very different view of life and reality.
If you knew you were going to be stranded on a deserted island, what three things would you bring with you?
Assuming I couldn't bring something to help me be rescued, I would bring a fishing rod with tons of line and hooks, waterproof fire starter - large magnesium and flint stone in the base of a survival hunting knife, and a solar powered radio.
Why did you choose a career in public accounting?
At some point I realized that all public accountants didn't have to do massive amounts of tax work, but they could be focused on assurance services, including consideration of IT as relates to that. While there are new things each year to keep things interesting, generally the amount of change is not overwhelming.
