Ann Bradshaw joined Ernst & Young in 1984 after earning her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in accounting from OSU. She spent her entire 35-plus year career with EY before retiring in December.
Ann grew up in Stillwater, knew early in her life that she would attend OSU and is grateful for the education she received. At OSU, she was president of the Chi Omega sorority and was awarded Outstanding Greek Woman. Ann has been inducted into the OSU School of Accounting Hall of Fame and in 2014 during the OSU business school’s 100th anniversary she was chosen one of the “Spears School Tributes: 100 For 100.”
Tell us a little about your roots.
Having grown up in Stillwater, my blood turned orange at an early age. I was the fourth
generation in my family to attend OSU (or its predecessor Oklahoma A&M) and so I attended
OSU sporting events before I could walk, took music lessons from OSU graduate students
before I could drive, rode in a lot of Homecoming parades in the back of Dad’s ‘31
Model A Roadster, and went through a lot of loaves of bread feeding the ducks at Theta
Pond.
Why did you decide to pursue accounting at OSU?
Unlike a lot of students, I knew in high school that I wanted to pursue a career in
Public Accounting. That was due in part to the influence of two family friends. John
Hunt was a local CPA who helped my parents with their taxes. Given my keen interest
in math and “all things related to numbers,” my folks let me sit in on their meetings
with John when he’d come to our office to gather tax materials for filing season.
There was just something about his big black CCH binders and tax forms, plus all that
adding machine tape flying around that sounded kind of intriguing.
Another family friend was Pat Harris. Pat was several years older than me, an OSU accounting graduate, CPA gold medalist and staff accountant with Arthur Andersen. Pat inspired me tremendously and I soon embarked on my own journey by enrolling in the OSU School of Accounting to pursue both my undergrad and graduate degrees before heading off for interviews with each of The Big Eight firms. After much interview “fun” and deliberation, I accepted an offer from Arthur Young (one of the predecessor firms of Ernst & Young LLP) in 1984 and began steps to follow in Pat and John’s footsteps.
How did Oklahoma State help shape your career?
Not only did I receive a superb education at OSU, I also gained exposure to so many
teachers, mentors and experiential learning opportunities that taught me so much more
than just the intricacies of the Internal Revenue Code and work paper documentation
skills. I have always believed that extraordinary professionals are not only very
strong technically, but also have a mindset of continual learning, curiosity and the
highest standards for ethical professionalism, relationship development and communication. I
began to hone all of those traits during my student days at OSU – especially through
the organizations, group learning, mentoring and leadership opportunities that were
available for those of us who proactively tried to take advantage of every learning
and growth opportunity available to us.
What are some accomplishments that you are proud of since leaving OSU?
I have always believed that some of my highest responsibilities as a professional
services provider is serve clients with excellence and to strive for that same excellence
in modeling and mentoring the “flock” with whom I lead and serve. In that context,
it has been extraordinarily fulfilling to see team members who have experienced great
success in their careers as well as clients who have “kept coming back for more” over
the years.
Tell us about your career and your day-to-day responsibilities.
My “day-to-day” responsibilities changed about three months ago in that I have just
retired after a 35-plus year career with Ernst & Young! While an active partner with
EY, in addition to several different leadership roles, I always was responsible for
serving the tax needs of a specific group of clients in both the public and private
sectors. Although I began my tax career at a time when everyone considered themselves
“tax generalists,” during the last half of my career we saw specialization become
the norm – so my “fastball” was State & Local/Indirect Tax.
In this new chapter of life and career, my day-to-day responsibilities have changed. "Retirement" has lots of meanings, but for me it heralds the beginning of new opportunities for service where the experiences and skills that began at OSU and continued to evolve at EY can still be relevant tools for meaningful contribution. I will continue to be passionate about learning, helping to equip new generations of leaders and trying to make a positive difference through each endeavor. In the near term that will include work on a few boards, ministry related mentoring and some leadership development work that I will do alongside my sister, Sara Bradshaw Ray, in her business.
What advice would you give to current OSU students?
Make the most of every opportunity to learn, both on campus and from mentors and leaders
all around. While it is always critical to be very strong in your chosen technical
area, also give attention to consistently expanding those skills that will make you
a well-rounded professional, always learning and eager to grow. Listen, respect, be
willing to invest in those around you and always remember to say thank you to those
who have made a difference in your life and career.