February is Black History Month, a time to pay tribute to the accomplishments of African Americans, who are often faced with adversity. The contributions and achievements of African American men and women span the course of history and all professional fields. Family & Children’s Service honors the contributions and achievements of African Americans, both past and present who have exemplified FCS’s vision to strengthen, protect and preserve the dignity and independence of people in need.

Tiara Brown is Family & Children’s Service’s Accounting Manager. Tiara graduated in 2019 from Pace University in New York City and has been working for Family & Children’s Service since May 2019.

There is more than meets the eye when talking to Tiara about her career goals. She admits that she is someone who utilizes her creative abilities just as much as her logic. “They say left brain vs. right brain but I’m a person who needs both.” Tiara explained that aside from accounting she also models. “I spent a lot of my time deciding which I should do, and I chose both.” Tiara says “For modeling it’s great to be a creative but then accounting is more logistics. For me that’s a great balance.”

Tiara explains that she’s always liked working with numbers. “Accounting is a lot of problem solving and analyzing.” When asked what she likes most about working in accounting she says “It’s very clear cut. If your numbers don’t match you know somethings not right. You don’t have anything to debate because numbers don’t lie.”

Tiara is now working towards becoming a certified public accountant (CPA). In order to become a CPA, you must pass a rigorous CPA Exam and meet certain work experience requirements. The exam and requirements ensure all CPAs maintain the highest standard of knowledge and ethics when operating in financial positions.

The accounting expertise that Tiara brings to FCS is crucial in fulfilling the agency’s vision to strengthen, protect and preserve the dignity and independence of people in need. “I love FCS’s mission and the community that we serve, and I believe that while I’m not in the field, being in a financial role is still helping our clients.”

Tiara’s goal is to one day have her own accounting firm where she can hire her own employees. She wants to create a work environment representative of her and her own experiences. “I don’t know a lot of black accountants,” Tiara explains “so just to have that for my community and wherever else I go, I think that’s important for me.”

Tiara credits the women who’ve mentored her for inspiring her professionally. “Any woman in the accounting field is inspiring because it’s a male dominated industry.”

The advice that Tiara has for other African American women interested in entering the accounting field is that “everywhere you go will be different so be adaptable and always remember how knowledgeable you are and know that there are going to be people who support you. You are above any obstacle that you may face, because you will have support. It won’t be easy but just keep going.”

The National Association of Black Accountants, Inc. (NABA) was founded in 1969. At that time less than 1% of all CPA’s in the US were black. NABA is dedicated to bridging the opportunity gap for black accounting and finance professionals by providing leadership and technical training, as well as networking and career opportunities.