Bulldog Ledger January 2017 | Page 10

PASSION AND PERSPECTIVE

yet positive in a way , because it taught me resilience . And 9 / 11 and having a baby put the loss of a job in a different perspective . It was hard , but in the scheme of things , not that important .”
Bell accepted a partnership at Ernst & Young ( EY ) in Atlanta in May 2002 . She continued in audit , but most of her time went into Sarbanes-Oxley consulting . After three years she was asked to lead the newly formed Southeast Risk Advisory Practice . Not long after that , she was named Managing Partner of EY Atlanta – the first female managing partner for any major firm in the city . In 2015 , she was tapped for her current position , running a national team that serves utility clients throughout the Americas .
As a freshman at MSU , Susan Bell took a co-op accounting position with Mississippi Power Company , working for the utility in the summers . Today , the 1984 alumna leads Ernst & Young ’ s Americas Power & Utilities Sector Financial Accounting Advisory Services .
Bell began her career in public accounting after completing her undergraduate degree . She interviewed with firms in several cities , ultimately taking a position with Arthur Andersen in Atlanta . She started out in audit and found she had a passion for it .
“ I really enjoyed figuring out how businesses operate and how they make money ,” she remarks . “ I was always learning , and I love to learn , so I decided to stay in audit .”
After twelve years with Andersen , Bell became the first woman to make Partner in the firm ’ s Atlanta office . It was a position she held until 2001 , when Andersen surrendered its licenses in the wake of a conviction ( later overturned ) tied to the Enron scandal . Other events that year , however , helped bring a balanced outlook to career difficulties .
“ I was starting my career over ,” she says . “ It was difficult
The Starkville native is among the third generation of her family to attend Mississippi State . Her grandfather played football for the Bulldogs in the 1920s , and both parents are alumni . Bell benefited from strong female role models : her grandmother was in the first class of women to enroll at State , and her aunt was one of the first women to graduate in agricultural economics .
“ I never had any inkling that there was anything I couldn ’ t do as a woman ,” she remarks .
Bell contributes time and energy toward removing barriers for others . She serves on the board of the National Center for Civil and Human Rights and is immediate past chair of Atlanta ’ s United Way chapter . She has enriched her community through the boards of the Georgia Chamber of Commerce , the Atlanta Historical Society and the Woodruff Arts Center .
She is also a longtime member and past President of the ASAC Advisory Council , provides scholarship support and has been a featured speaker for classes and organizations .
The experience that she has to share shows students the value of commitment . Whatever she takes on , be it for career , community or family , Susan Bell puts in 100 percent – and the results are obvious .
8 BULLDOG LEDGER