Principal
Hottel & Willis, PC, WinchesterVirginia Board of Accountancy member (appointed June 2023)
After graduating from Shenandoah University in 1999, Angela began her career in public accounting and is currently a principal with Hottel & Willis, PC (formerly Rutherford & Johnson), in Winchester. In her position as a CPA, she is driven by the ability to help clients do things that they may not be able to do themselves. “I believe small business is the heartbeat of the local economy and I find it rewarding to assist business owners and individuals to make their dreams a reality.”
“I recently joined the team at Hottel & Willis and it has been a very positive move for me. We embrace the concept with clients that we care about the story behind their numbers. The work environment is very positive and uplifting, which makes a huge difference. Each day brings new challenges and learning opportunities.”
Angela said being a CPA has given her the knowledge and experience to earn a good living and also the flexibility to be there for her family. Her CPA expertise has allowed her to serve her church as finance chair for the past 16 years, lead the church through a $1.6 million building expansion, and assist the church with becoming independent.
Angela believes it’s crucial for CPAs to leverage automation — and she doesn’t think AI will make CPAs obsolete. “We should embrace technology and use it as a tool to get our work done. It will still be important to have trained accountants and CPAs to understand the work product results and interpret them accurately.”
“I firmly believe it is important to give back to our community and to help support the infrastructure of our profession.” Angela served locally on the Frederick County Finance Committee as a citizen member and advisor to the Board of Supervisors. After expressing interest in serving on the VBOA, she was appointed in 2023 by Gov. Glenn Youngkin.
After a year of service, Angela is settling into her role on the VBOA. She helped develop SMART goals to guide priorities and tasks, and she wants to see the Board continue working with students to spark interest in the profession and build the pipeline. She is excited about NASBA’s development of the Professional Licensure Task Force, and looks forward to seeing how that evolves on the national level.
She is currently the only VBOA member who works for a small public accounting firm. “I find the work I am doing with the board has been a good way to give many of the small firms across the Commonwealth a voice. Some of the most interesting work to date has been the enforcement cases I’ve evaluated for the VBOA. Due to my experience in taxation, I have received a handful of tax-related cases. I feel it is important to have someone knowledgeable about the ins and outs of tax preparation and the compliance we face in the performance of those duties, to adequately assess those cases.”
“I know many of us get tired of hearing it, but [the biggest challenge] is the accounting pipeline. It seems like almost every industry I work with is having similar difficulties in staffing. However, as we all know, becoming a CPA has many requirements, so I feel our pipeline will take some time to recover and we will be competing against other professions and career paths.”
Angela also identifies as an issue the profession’s attrition as CPAs age and retire, which will further strain the workforce. “It is critical for firms to have a viable succession plan in place to protect the clients, current employees and the public interest. If the capacity to absorb this work is not available, it will leave clients seeking less qualified alternatives to fill this role.”
As a founding member of the Shenandoah Valley VSCPA Chapter, Angela has hosted a student night event for the past two years. In addition to reaching college students already involved in accounting programs, they invite students from regional high schools to participate. “I would like to see similar events take place across the state and I would like us to continue to reach out to younger students. It is important for them to be educated about the roles of accountants in our society and know about all the opportunities that exist. It is crucial for them to know accountants are needed in all industries and across many different roles.”
“Don’t be discouraged and give up while you are in the process. My law professor in college told us that the CPA is instant credibility. The statement held true then and it still holds true today. Achieving CPA licensure is worthwhile, and you won’t regret it.”
While the makeup of women in accounting has improved over the last 30 years, “we aren’t done making progress,” she said. “Women still tend to earn less and have a gap in the assets accumulated for retirement compared to our male counterparts.” Angela’s advice to women is to clearly communicate expectations to your employer about workload, compensation and benefits. Considering the predictability of the accounting profession, it is entirely possible to hold a rewarding career and balance family life at the same time.
