Alumnus honored as leader in audit field

  Thursday, December 17, 2015 2:00 AM
  News

Pittsburg, KS

During one of her audit courses at Pittsburg State, CateNeeley found herself fascinated by an address given by a guest speaker.

“The professor had the PSU auditor come speak to our class” said Neeley, who graduated from PSU in 2008 with abachelor of business administration with a major in accounting. “This was my first introduction to internal audit in higher education, which is obviously something that I am now very passionate about.”

Neeley turned that passion into a successful career, as she now serves as assistant director and internal audit manager at the University of Kansas. And earlier this fall, she was named a 2015 Emerging Leader by Internal Auditor magazine.

Neeley was one of 15 audit professionals honored by the magazine.

“It’s really exciting, and a little overwhelming, to be recognized as an Emerging Leader,” she said. “What is even better is how this shines a light on our office. Of the 15 auditors selected, I was the only one representing internal audit in higher education.”

In her role at KU, Neeley manages the audit work conducted at the KU Medical Center campus as well as some specific audits on the KU Lawrence campus. She credits her education at Pittsburg State with preparing her for a successful career.

“The internal auditing program in the accounting department is very well known by employers and internal audit departments in our region, which helped attract companies to PSU’s Meet the Firms Day,” she said. “Through Meet the Firms Day my junior year, I met and interviewed with recruiters from Sprint’s Corporate Audit Services department for a summer internship which led to me accepting a full-time position in the same department following my graduation.  It goes without saying how beneficial this was to the start and progression of my career.”

She said working as a student employee in the Pitt State Office of Career Services also prepared her for the professional world.

“It helped me learn the importance of professionalism, including dressing professionally, writing a resume and cover letter that stands out, and interviewing successfully,” she said. “This helps not only during interviews, but also when attending work functions or networking.”

Neeley, who played on the PSU volleyball team during her freshman and sophomore years, said she chose to attend Pittsburg State for a variety of reasons.

“However, the deciding factor for me was less tangible and came from my first campus visit,” she said. “Being on campus just felt right and it was the first school I had visited where I could envision myself attending classes.  I also really liked the enrollment size of the university: small, but not too small.”