Introducing Women in Accounting: Cloreece Knight
How many Black women in accounting do you know?
Now, how many Black women do you know who are also CPAs?
According to an online survey conducted by The Center for Accounting Education (CAE) at Howard University and NABA, Black women are less likely to become CPAs when compared to Black men, despite there being higher enrollment for women versus men.
Less than 1% of CPAs in the United States are Black—and even less are Black women.
The survey posits that one reason (among the many) that this may be is because of a lack of role models in the industry. Accounting as a profession isn't as visible as medicine or law, and so it isn't seen as a viable career for growth and progress.
So, how do you combat this divide? By introducing more Black women in accounting who can serve as role models for others considering entering the field.
And Cloreece Knight is perfect for the job.
Cloreece has excelled in her accounting career for over 18 years, graduating from the University of New Orleans with a Bachelor's Degree in Accounting before eventually earning her MBA and pursuing a CPA certification. Now, she owns and runs her own CPA firm, Knight CPA Services, LLC.
She is a small business owner, a mission and community-driven entrepreneur, and Lady Ambassador here at The Lady CPA Network—but that's not all.
Why did you decide to become a CPA?
I was a Supervisory Systems Accountant with the United States Department of Agriculture and had been employed with them for 7 years. Eventually, I decided to become a CPA to help my community. I was raised by parents who knew nothing about finances and weren't exposed to any type of financial literacy. There was never any talk about credit, investing, saving, or budgeting. My parents never even owned their own home, which is normally the only asset some African-Americans have.
During my accounting career, I learned so much about wealth building. And how something as simple as budgeting and savings can be the pathway to generational wealth. I want my kids, family, friends, and community to know that they have an opportunity to have more and stop the cycle of poverty that is often passed down.
What challenges did you face during your studies?
Where do I start!? I had a demanding job, being a supervisor of 6 employees, that required a lot from me.
I was a mom of two boys and became pregnant with my last child, my daughter.
I really had to adjust my schedule to get this done. I had to study on breaks, at my sons’ football games, and during holidays. I literally studied every free minute I had! I completed two tests while pregnant and the last two before her first birthday.
Tell us a little bit about your exam journey.
I sat for every section twice except for FAR. I’m a technical/action/hands-on person, so I like anything that has more calculations than theory. So, Audit was my least favorite and FAR was my favor