CPA Survival Stories - Nancy DiSalvo, CPA

Our first post comes from our Vice President, Nancy DiSalvo, CPA. With over 20 years of experience in the accounting industry, she has learned the key to survival is surrounding yourself with successful people and developing those relationships.

I clearly remember my first accounting class. I was a senior in high school, and the year was 1986. Early in the year, we were given what would be one of our “projects” for the year. We were to maintain the books for a business named “Cycle Center,” everything from making bank deposits, writing checks to paying bills, and coding transactions to the general ledger all the way to reconciling our bank accounts and producing financial statements for our thriving business at the end of each month. Call me crazy, but I absolutely LOVED it! The debits and credits made perfect sense to me, and I liked to believe I was pretty good at it. After all, I loved math but only tolerated science, so accounting seemed like the best choice for me when it came to deciding on a major for college and, ultimately, choosing the career path I wanted to follow.

What I didn’t realize was my chosen path would not be easy, but I have never backed away from a challenge. 

When I started college, I knew from the beginning it would take me at least 5 years to make it through the program at UCF, as Florida was one of the first states to implement the 5th year requirement for CPA’s. I also knew the CPA exam had a reputation for being tough to pass, especially the first time. Being prepared for this was the biggest challenge in the beginning - at least until the next challenge came along. 

That is what makes this profession so intriguing to me….there is always something new around the corner, and you have to constantly prepare yourself for what is coming up next. This keeps me continuously moving and keeps my mind sharp, which also helps to keep me healthy in mind, body, and spirit.



Time has only solidified the wisdom of my career decision. Over the last 20 years, I have had the privilege of working with some of the best non-profit organizations, charter schools, and numerous small businesses from across the country. These are organizations making an unbelievable difference in the communities they serve, in the lives of the young children they educate, and in providing critical goods and services to the marketplace. My 20 years have been spent with the same accounting firm, which probably makes me an anomaly among 40-something professionals. I believe it also makes me better at what I do. I have served some of the same clients for many of these years and have come to specialize in their unique industries, which allows me to focus on their particular needs and provide the best possible client service. 

If you want to be successful in whatever career you choose, then surround yourself with people who are successful at what they do and develop meaningful relationships with them over time. It is these relationships that will serve you best in your career.

 Have you ever had that exhilarating feeling when you know you are in the right place at the right time doing what you were meant to do? I have been blessed enough to have that feeling for the last 20 years in the CPA profession, and I hope it lasts another 20.

Do you have a CPA survival story you would like to share with the association? Please contact Marie Nelson at aswacf@gmail.com.