Life In Accounting - The Where Accountants Go Podcast

Paula Gold-Williams, a CPA and the CEO for CPS Energy, joined us for this week’s episode of Life In Accounting: The Where Accountants Go podcast. From accountant to CEO For those not in south Texas, in order for you to have some perspective on the interview CPS Energy is the electric utility that serves San Antonio and the surrounding area.  The annual budget for 2017 is in excess of $2½ billion.  So naturally, with a CPA being the CEO of such an important organization we had to request an interview. Paula started along a fairly traditional path.  She was influenced to try accounting by her bookkeeping teacher in high school – Mr. Ramirez.  From there she went through school and ended up starting in an audit position with Ernst & Whinney, or EY as it is known today.  Over the years through her diligent effort and by following the philosophy that saying “yes” to opportunities even when there is some ambiguity involved, she has worked her way through the ranks to controller, then CFO, and now CEO at CPS Energy