Above: Matt Blyth during his talk with accountancy students
To bring the real world into the classroom, alumni are regularly invited to speak at our introductory accounting courses, ACC 221 (financial accounting) and ACC 222 (managerial accounting). This spring, students had the opportunity to hear from Matt Blyth ‘92, Jack Martello ‘18, Morgan Staten ‘18, T.J. LaMendola ‘92, and Maureen Westrick ‘05, enjoying perspectives from a wide variety of accounting careers:
- Matt Blyth is VP of procurement and business networks at SAP’s offices in Gross Pointe, Michigan
- T.J. LaMendola is CFO of the Columbus Blue Jackets.
- Jack Martello is an M&A advisory manager at Deloitte in Chicago.
- Morgan Staten is a specialist in corporate acquisition and divestiture accounting for Eaton Corporation, an international power management company, in its Beechwood, Ohio, location
- Maureen Westrick is associate vice president for corporate development and strategic partnerships at Nationwide, based in Columbus, Ohio.
Matt Blyth spoke to Professor Eric Marinich’s ACC 222 class about the important role accounting plays in organizations. Mr. Blyth started in public accounting, then pivoted into technology sales, and eventually landed in his current role as VP of procurement and business networks at SAP. He credits accounting for helping establish the foundation on which his successful career was built. According to Professor Marinich, “His talk was well received by students, many of whom connected with Matt after class. I plan to continue having guest speakers in ACC 222 and currently have two speakers scheduled for the Fall semester.”
In ACC 221, the alums were asked to give 20-minute presentations that provide their career highlights and describe how accountancy education might benefit not only those who want a career in accountancy but other business students as well. Each talk ends with a Q&A for students. “It was so great to meet and connect with the amazing Miami FSB students in Acc 221 this past winter,” said Ms. Westrick. “My hope is that the students had some fun as they learned about my Miami experience, felt inspired as I shared my dynamic career journey, and that they give an accounting major or minor some consideration as they contemplate their futures.”
