“LIU taught me the importance of excellence, hard work, and continuous learning. After that, the rest was up to me.” - ROSE ROSER -
ROSEMARY ROSER P’81
Vice President and Controller National Football League
Rose Roser attends the Super Bowl every year. It’s one of the perks as VP and controller of the National Football League, a position this football fan has enjoyed since 2004. This year’s nail-biting game between the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots was a particular thrill. “It was a tremendous game. It was a crushing loss for the Seahawks and an amazing victory for the Patriots,” said Roser, staying neutral despite the drama. “When you work for the NFL, you root for all 32 teams.” Roser’s philosophy is that a career isn’t a linear, straight-up-the-ladder path. It’s about keeping skills sharp and building a “mosaic of experiences,” she said. “It’s about getting an amalgamation of skills that positions you for where you want to be.”
And she has certainly created a rich and colorful mosaic for herself. When she was in high school, Roser thought she would do anything but accounting, her father’s profession. An accomplished classical pianist who practiced for hours each day, she considered a career in music. But like many students, she explored various majors at LIU Post. “Then I latched on to accounting, and I saw that I was very good at it,” she said. Roser, who graduated summa cum laude from the School of Professional Accountancy, credits the strong curriculum and dedicated professors at LIU for giving her the grounding she needed for success. “The education was excellent. Top notch,” she said. “Some of the professors were quite tough, but they were preparing you for a challenging position in real life.” She received job offers from a number of the Big Eight accounting firms, and, like many of her LIU Post classmates, chose to join KPMG, in Jericho, N.Y. At KPMG, she rose from assistant accountant to senior audit manager over the course of a decade. Next, Roser moved into the private sector, first as vice president and controller at Roosevelt Savings Bank in Garden City, N.Y., then as the controller of Comforce Corp., a temporary staffing services company in Woodbury, N.Y., followed by a five-year run as
controller of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP, one of the largest and most prestigious international law firms in the world. When Roser was recruited to become VP and controller of the NFL, the high-profile organization liked her wide-ranging experience. “The rigor and discipline of being a bank controller and managing a lot of money, having implemented a PeopleSoft accounting system at Comforce, and experience working in an entrepreneurial organization at Skadden gave me the right mix of skills,” she said. As a privately held business organization, the NFL puts a tremendous emphasis on publishing sound financial information, Roser said. “A lot of time at my level is spent making sure we are aligned—that finance understands the accounting and that accounting understands the finance, and that we’re getting the right input in our new business opportunities.” “Throughout your life, doors will open and others will close,” Roser said. “[LIU] taught me the importance of excellence, hard work, and continuous learning. After that, the rest was up to me.”
SPRING 2015 | LIU MAGAZINE
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