Mariel Liggett, CPA and partner at Williams-Keepers LLC

1. Like a lot of Columbians, you graduated from the University of Missouri. When you were a student, why did you want to study accounting?

It was love at first sight. Actually, I owe it all to my brother, Tom. We were both attending college, and he was in an accounting class and recommended I take a course in accounting because I liked math so much. I was all set to be a teacher, so I declined. Tom persisted, so finally I gave in and signed up for Introductory Accounting. I loved it and immediately changed my major to accounting. Tom, too, soon changed his major — out of accounting.

 

2. You joined Williams-Keepers in 1973 and then became a partner three years later. What was it like making that advancement so early in your career?

Simply put, it was awesome. If you asked me back then, I wouldn’t have said I “made partner” early. My late partner, Stephen B. Smith, and I were admitted to the firm at the same time. If you were able to ask George Keepers and Tom Payne, they’d tell you we were both knocking pretty hard on that partnership door. And if you ask my recently retired partner, Dave Rawlings, I believe he’d say he was happy to open the door for both of us to join them.

 

3. After serving as president of Columbia Chamber’s Women’s Network, what is your take on the progress Columbia women have made in the workplace?

I was the first female professional hired by WK, a fact I did not learn until years later because George Keepers and Tom Payne made it a point to not make that an issue and instead treated me like all the other staff members, always equally in all areas.

But I remember being the only female professional at WK at that time and looked for other professional women to network with. As that did not readily come to fruition, Women’s Network opened another door for me. Meeting other professional women and getting to know them on both a business and personal level is something I will always cherish.

 

4. The MU accountancy graduate program was recently ranked 13th in the nation. What sort of skills and qualities have you seen in its recent graduates that you think make the program exceptional?

Our experience has shown that the School of Accountancy graduates are very well prepared to start a career in professional services. MU’s accountancy graduate program encourages students to prepare for and take the CPA exam; that’s a tremendous advantage for MU students and a great benefit for our firm.

 

5. From agribusiness to government to health care, Williams-Keepers serves a host of industries. Is there one in particular you find exceptionally satisfying to work with?

I really enjoy working in all the industry areas my clients are involved in, and I particularly enjoy working directly with the closely held and family-owned businesses to use their financial statements to not only measure their success but also to structure transactions to further their businesses’ success.

 

6. What is the difference between a bookkeeper and an accountant?

Both are important in business. A bookkeeper’s role is just that: keeper of the books. The bookkeeper is more focused on maintaining an accurate set of financial records, and the accountant, and especially the CPA adviser, is more focused on being sure the financial information provided is accurate and provided on a timely basis.

 

7. What is a typical day like for a Williams-Keepers partner?

This is one of the things I like best about WK. There is no such thing as a typical day, which makes for an exciting day practically every day.