Meet TSCPA Member: Leigh Anne Henry, CPA
When Leigh Anne Henry, CPA, decided to go back to school to earn her Master of Accountancy while simultaneously studying for the CPA exam, she knew it would be a challenge. When the pandemic hit, and Henry found herself working full time from home with her three daughters in virtual school, she remained dedicated to her studies with the support of her family. “My husband is basically the MVP and practically earned his CPA as well,” she says. “He held it all down while I took on this challenge.” Henry, who is a senior tax manager at HCA, credits her daughters with keeping her focused on her goals. “Honestly, it was all determination and truly wanting to show my children to never give up on their dreams – no matter what barriers stand in the way.”
Tennessee Born and Raised
I am a native Tennessean. I was born and raised in Cookeville, Tennessee. I grew up in a blended family – I am the youngest of three daughters and my stepdad has three sons. We were basically “The Brady Bunch” without Alice! I graduated from Tennessee Tech University with my bachelor’s in accounting in 2003. I started my career at HCA immediately upon my graduation. I am currently a senior tax manager in the HCA Corporate Tax Department, where I am about to celebrate my 19th work anniversary! In 2018, I made the decision to go back to school to obtain my Master of Accountancy from Tennessee Tech while simultaneously studying for and passing the CPA exam. I currently live in Mount Juliet, Tennessee, with my husband and three daughters.
Accounting Ambitions
I always enjoyed math in school and decided to take an accounting class my junior year in high school. I enrolled in Accounting II my senior year and never looked back. From that moment, I knew I would be an accountant.
It Takes a Village
My parents are certainly who I give credit to for my drive and determination. They’ve always cheered me on and encouraged me in my career. My dad passed away from cancer in 2017. He knew my goals. He knew my dreams. After losing him, I had this sense of wanting to continue to make him proud and finally accomplish this. I just wanted to say I did it! Finally! In addition to them, I certainly have the best village of supporters. My daughters would literally decorate the interior of my car each morning of the CPA exam with Post-it Notes full of encouraging words and reminders. My tribe of friends, who understood the challenge of having a full plate, celebrated each milestone with me. My sweet Aunt Christie always sent the exact words of encouragement I needed to hear at the perfect time. And last but certainly not least, prayers. Lots of prayers. God knew my needs.
CPA Exam Challenges
The pandemic created the most challenges for me. I considered all the potential challenges going into this, and COVID-19 was not on that list! I had a specific timeline to finish grad school and pass the CPA exam, and let’s be honest; I don’t have time to waste or delay. The closure of testing centers did, in fact, interrupt my plan and set me back a few months.
Looking Into the Future
Post-pandemic has brought about a lot of changes in all professions. For CPAs, I think we will continue to see more remote work options and/or hybrid schedules. Technology is also rapidly changing the accounting profession. The days of manually inputting data into a spreadsheet are slowly coming to an end. In order to stay competitive, processes are being automated as much as possible to save time and money. We now have a tax technology team within our tax department. They have implemented so many new changes that have increased our efficiency and reduced errors and workload.
Downtime
I love spending time with my family and friends. We stay very busy with our daughters and watching them do what they love. I am a dance mom, soccer mom and softball mom all in one! Our house is always hosting a gathering, whether it be a game night, marriage life group or a “just because” party!
Learning To Say No
Give your best yes! I struggle with taking on too many tasks and being a people pleaser. The truth is, I have to say “no” to many things in order to give my “best yes” to the unique things that God has called me to do. Learning this and knowing it’s okay to say no has helped me manage my time, reduce stress and do what’s best for my family and me.
Paying It Forward
I oversee all of our recruiting efforts in the HCA Tax Department, and I thoroughly enjoy investing time into meeting students and advising them on career opportunities. By accomplishing my MAcc and CPA later in my career, I think students and colleagues are comfortable talking with me and discussing career paths.
This article was originally published in the January/February 2023 Tennessee CPA Journal.