“Never let anyone tell you that you cannot do something.”
Northeast Region: Jackie Cardello, Managing Partner of Gelman, Rosenberg & Freedman CPAs, headquarters - Bethesda, Maryland
Tell us about your first experience with CPAmerica? It was at a senior training when I was a senior auditor. It was a great opportunity to network and get to know peers in similar situations. We got to openly discuss the challenges we faced in our roles. Can you describe a time when CPAmerica’s member sharing assisted with an issue at your firm? There have been multiple times. One in particular, we were trying to grow our IT audit niche and Frazier & Deeter has helped us with that. We have had them visit us, co-partnered on a couple of proposals with them, and we have had their lead IT person meet with our IT director to discuss issues with our system – they have the same Citrix environment. What’s your favorite part about membership with CPAmerica? Member sharing by all methods and modes. Going to the conferences and networking in person – I go to the Leading Partners Retreat, Large Firm Group events. I recently graduated from the New Leading Partner group. You are with a similar group of peers facing similar challenges. I also use the discussion list quite frequently. There are a couple of partners I have gotten to know really well and I am able to pick up the phone
and reach out to them. This to me is the most valuable piece, knowing that I have people I can reach out to and get immediate response with guidance and advice. What’s one piece of advice you would give to new firms that have just joined CPAmerica? Attend as many of the conferences as possible. They are all valuable and I think they are wonderful networking opportunities. What’s your hometown and describe your experience there? I grew up in Gaithersburg, Maryland. It was a very positive experience. It was small town when I was growing up, right outside of Washington, D.C., with lots of farmland, Occupation: Managing Partner Hometown: Gaithersburg, Maryland
Three things about Jackie Cardello: 1. Grew up outside of Washington, D.C., in Gaithersburg, Maryland 2. Earned her bachelor’s at the University of Maryland 3. Outside of work, is committed to several community involvement projects
open fields, with a very small-town feel. Tell us what makes you a unique managing partner? I am not afraid to try new things, or the penalty for failure and the criticism that comes with it. But I am willing to invest the time and resources into new niches and practice areas and infrastructure here, particularly the people. Since I have been managing partner, we have promoted six new partners. I am willing to take chances. What is your personal philosophy? Never let anyone tell you that you cannot do something. I have encountered many times in my life, [situations] where I have been discouraged from doing something and I have never listened to that. I have always blazed my own trail and I have done things that may have seemed difficult or challenging and it has always worked out well for me. What’s your favorite thing to do in Washington, D.C., and why? Bike riding and visiting the museums. I actually just recently did this with my kids one fall day and it was quite wonderful. We rented a couple of bikes, rode around the monuments and went to a couple of museums. A lot of us that live near to D.C. often forget how fortunate we are to live so close to the nation’s capital that is filled with so much culture and history. Ver. 061118A