People First, Then and Now: Creating Career Paths Where People Can Grow

I feel incredibly fortunate that when I joined Jones & Roth in 1992, I joined a firm that already understood something we continue to believe today: People come first.

That belief has shaped my career, and for more than three decades I have watched it shape the careers of people around me. It’s why I continue to be proud of Jones & Roth’s recognition by the Accounting MOVE Project for the advancement of women and women in leadership. But what makes me even prouder is the story behind that recognition.

Seeing What Was Possible

When I started at Jones & Roth, Jill Foster was already helping show what was possible for women in public accounting.

Jill Foster‘s path was anything but traditional. She began in client payroll and bookkeeping. Lanny Jones saw her potential and encouraged her to return to school and become a CPA. The firm supported her while she worked full time, and she ultimately became a partner at a time when very few women held those roles.

Jill Foster was an inspiration and mentor to me. Her career taught me something I have never forgotten: talent doesn’t always arrive on a predetermined path. Sometimes leadership begins with seeing potential in another person and helping that person see it, too. That was People First before we called it People First.

Finding My Own Path

My career began on a fairly traditional path. As a staff accountant, I explored assurance, tax, advisory services and different client niches. I learned technical skills, worked with different clients and began discovering where my strengths and interests could make the greatest impact. But what I remember most about those early years is the people.

I was mentored by partners who taught me the profession and, just as importantly, showed me that they cared about me as a person. They challenged me, gave me opportunities and helped me continue growing even when what I needed from my career changed.

When my children were young, I transitioned to what we would now call a FlexPath so I could have more time with my family. That didn’t mean stepping away from professional growth. I continued to learn and contribute while making room for an important season of my life. I learned firsthand that flexibility isn’t the opposite of ambition.

As my career evolved, so did my interests. I moved increasingly into firm operations, recruiting, and career coaching. Once again, people encouraged me to explore, trusted me with new responsibilities and gave me the confidence to follow a path I couldn’t have imagined when I started as a staff accountant. That journey eventually led to my current role as Jones & Roth’s Director of Operations and a member of the Executive Committee.

Looking back, my career hasn’t really been one path. It has been a series of paths, each right for a different season of my life.

Different Lives. Different Paths.

Robin Matthews‘s career showed me another version of that idea. Robin joined Jones & Roth part-time while raising young children. After eight years, as life changed, she moved into a full-time role and set her sights on a fast path to partner. She and I worked closely together throughout the first 30 years of my career. She was a wonderful support system and someone who challenged me to be the best I could be.

Robin’s part-time years were not a detour from her career; they were part of her career. When her circumstances and ambitions changed, her career could change with them. She went on to champion and launch the firm’s wealth management services and, in 2017, transitioned to Co-Managing Partner — the first woman to hold that role.

Our paths weren’t identical. That’s exactly the point. There doesn’t have to be one right path.

Building on What Came Before Us

I continue to be inspired by the leaders who came after me, including Carrie Fortier, Kari Young, Sara Hummel, Kim Lyon, and Nicole McOmber. Each has created a career that is her own while making an impact on clients, our firm and our communities.

Today, Jones & Roth has more formal language for something generations of leaders practiced before us. We talk about ClassicPath, FlexPath and FastPath and encourage team members to explore different client niches, areas of expertise and career directions. Our career framework is built around the idea that people can personalize their journeys and adapt them as life changes. The firm’s career materials reinforce that same idea: explore widely, discover your strengths, personalize your path and grow with support along the way.

But I hope we never mistake the program for the purpose. The purpose is the person.

From One Generation to the Next

I’m especially excited when I think about the professionals just beginning their careers at Jones & Roth. I think about a young intern walking through our doors and wondering where a career in public accounting might lead. Maybe they’ll find a client niche they love. Maybe they’ll become a technical specialist or discover a passion for developing people. Maybe they’ll need greater flexibility during one season and want to accelerate their growth during another. Maybe, like me, their career will eventually take them somewhere they never imagined when they started. That’s the opportunity I want them to see.

Because when I look across my career, one theme connects all of these stories. Jill Foster had people who saw her potential and encouraged her to pursue it. I had mentors who supported me when I needed flexibility for my family and continued believing in me as my career moved toward recruiting, coaching and firm operations. Robin Matthews built a career that changed as her life changed. And today, I see another generation carrying that legacy forward.

I see People First when an experienced team member welcomes an intern and helps them know they belong. I see it when a working parent is supported by someone who has navigated that season before. I see it when a coach recognizes potential in someone who hasn’t quite recognized it yet.

Today, People First is formally one of our values. But it didn’t begin when we put those words on paper. It’s something generations of Jones & Roth people have practiced and passed forward. That’s why I’m proud of our recognition from the Accounting MOVE Project. But I’m even more proud of what sits behind it:

People supporting people.
People seeing potential in one another.
People creating room for careers and lives to evolve.
People reaching back to help whoever comes next.

Programs will evolve. Careers will change. Life certainly changes. But I hope the foundation never does: see the person, recognize their potential, give them room to grow, and have the right people beside them along the way.

That’s People First. And it’s what makes Jones & Roth a great place to start, and a great place to stay.