What is “A Moment With”? The Women’s Business Development Center is pleased to continue with our series, “A Moment With”, where we periodically highlight some of our greatest supporters and partners, sharing their career experiences and advice. This month, we will be highlighting Beth Kieffer Leonard, Managing Partner at Lurie LLP.
Meet Beth: Beth Kieffer Leonard leads the business strategy and champions the vision for Lurie LLP. With more than 35 years of public accounting experience at Lurie and serving as managing partner since 2007, Beth has shown a life-long commitment to helping clients succeed from startup through succession, advancing employees of all backgrounds, and giving back to the community. In particular, she has empowered women leaders in the accounting industry and is an advocate for women-owned businesses and entrepreneurs – winning numerous honors and awards. With expertise in assurance, mergers, acquisitions, and tax advisory, Beth serves on several for-profit and non-profit boards, including the University of Minnesota Board of Trustees, the University of Minnesota Carlson School of Management Board of Advisors, and the UM Foundation. Beginning her term in 2021, Beth now serves on the board of the American Institute of CPAs, representing more than 418,000 members in 143 countries.
A Lesson
We asked: Tell us about a piece of childhood advice that shaped your career.
Beth shared: Life is about choices. I started college thinking that I would go into medicine. My dad said I needed to have a backup plan, which for me was attending business school at the University of Minnesota. When I decided to stop pursuing a career in medicine, I was able to quickly change majors because of my back up plan.
A Turning Point
We asked: How do you push yourself to take risks?
Beth shared: To push myself, I always evaluate the risks by looking at what could happen if I fail, focusing on how much damage would be caused to the organization and not me personally. I also think about the impact to the firm holistically and in our business community. Once I can see what the potential downfall is, I am usually unafraid to take risks.
A Guidepost
We asked: Share with us a mantra you live by.
Beth shared: “Do unto to others as you want them to do unto you.”
Thank you, Beth, for participating in “A Moment With”; we are proud to call you a loyal friend and board member of the WBDC. To learn more about Beth, you can find her on LinkedIn. To learn more about Laurie LLP, visit their website or find them on LinkedIn.
