Today, Tim is a partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers’ Washington National Tax Office. He is in charge of three national tax practices that help large corporations resolve their issues with the IRS. For example, the PwC IRS Service Team employs approximately 40 retired IRS executives. These former IRS executives help PricewaterhouseCoopers’ clients resolve their federal income tax issues expeditiously because they know and understand IRS policies, procedures and systems.

Tim's preparation for his accounting career had a rocky start. He received a “D” on his first test in Professor Laverne Andreessen’s Intermediate Accounting course. But Professor Andreessen used Tim’s ambition to motivate him to do better.

“Laverne suggested that I drop the Accounting major,” Tim said. “He knew my personality well enough to know I would get angry at the thought of giving up my dream.”

Tim spent a lot of time in Professor Andreessen’s office, and eventually completed the course successfully. Tim never worried that he wouldn’t get the help he needed.

“Anytime I went to see him, his door was open,” Tim said. “It was never an intrusion to ask for help.”

Laverne Andreessen, along with his faculty advisor Professor Lee Nicholas, set examples for Tim in how to motivate people to do their best.

“Understanding what drives people, recognizing their unique talents or skills, putting them in a position where they can do their very best, and then expressing your belief in them are four important coaching points I learned from Laverne Andreessen and Lee Nicholas,” he said. “They recognized my talents and believed in me when I found it difficult to believe in myself. Once I believed in their belief in me, I could begin to believe in myself. People sometimes need that .”

He brings that same wisdom and enthusiasm to his employees to help them take control of their careers.

“I tell my employees, ‘If you can tell me what you want out of your career, I can help you get it,’” Tim said.

In addition, Tim deals with ethics on a regular basis. When he entered the profession, this topic was discussed on an infrequent basis. Accountants must now be fully aware of all of the rules, know how to apply them, and understand how to fix situations they may find themselves in by accident.

“If you run into a problem, you should come forward immediately and deal with the issue in the light of day,” he said. “The worst thing an accountant can do is to try to solve an accounting or ethical problem him/herself.”

Whether it’s motivating people or understanding the importance of ethics, the knowledge and skills that Tim applies to his everyday work have their roots in the education he received from UNI.

"When you combine the technical skills taught at UNI, the Business College's connections with the accounting community, and the professors who believe in you, the result is an extremely powerful combination that can be found in few other places," he said. "My success today is directly attributable to the dream I had back in college and the education and encouragement I received while at UNI."