CPA Spotlight: Determined To Succeed

Sir Isaac Newton could use Roxie Samaniego as the perfect example to prove his first law of motion. As it states, the first law says that an object at rest tends to stay at rest, and an object in motion tends to stay in motion, with the same direction and speed.

Roxie Samaniego, partner and co-founder of White, Samaniego and Campbell in El Paso, former president of the El Paso Chapter and member of TSCPA’s Board of Directors stays in motion.

At just 36, Samaniego has accomplished what many CPAs almost twice her age would like to do. With the aforementioned accomplishments on her resume, she can also proudly add 2007 TSCPA Young CPA of the Year and 2010 El Paso Businesswoman of the Year to the list.

Roxie Samaniego, CPA-El Paso

Despite the impressive record of accolades and achievements, Samaniego ironically sought out other career choices growing up until her father convinced her to pursue accounting because of its financial stability.

“When I graduated high school, I didn’t have any particular field of interest,” Samaniego said. “For many years, I changed from being interested in interior design, court reporting, and speech therapy. My dad was an auditor for the IRS and regularly talked to me about accounting and pursuing a career in accounting.”

“He told me that in accounting, I would always have a job. My dad always told me that I wanted to be financially prepared in the event that I was put in a position to be responsible for children and household finances by myself,” she added.

After working in the accounting and warranty department for several years at a Ford-Mercury dealership in Bastrop (Texas), Samaniego began to heed her father’s words and pursued an accounting degree from Concordia University in Austin.

In 2004, with CPA certification in hand, Samaniego began working as an auditor and learned a lesson early on that has stayed with her, and is one of the many reasons she is successful today.

“As an auditor, we routinely conduct audits, prepare financials, and make presentations,” Samaniego said. “Early in my career, I recall finishing up an audit that I worked diligently on for weeks. The financials were ready and the partner was ready to give the board presentation. He got back and called me in his office. He had the financials in his hand and showed me that the client’s name was misspelled. No one caught the error, not me, not administrative staff, and not the partner. He went on to draw a house that was very intricate and nice, and then scribbled all over the front door in the picture. This he said was a bad finish to an otherwise great house.”

“His point was that we can do all the great work in the world and be competent, but if the financials have an obvious error in them, the error will be what the client remembers, not the hard work. It was a bad finish to a great audit. This was a powerful learning experience for me,” she added.

Years later, with a renewed attention to detail and determination, Samaniego’s ambition to have more freedom to serve clients led her to take a risky, but necessary step in her career. Joined by fellow auditor, Michael White, the two upstart CPAs founded White + Samaniego, LLP in the spring of 2007.

Now almost four years later, the firm, White, Samaniego and Campbell, LLP, has blossomed, adding three additional partners and 25 employees.

As one of the audit partners, Samaniego conducts a full slate of client meetings, audit proposals, and board and committee meetings, all while overseeing the audit team on projects. But, despite a hectic schedule, she manages to leave the office by 5:00 to have dinner and family time with husband, David, and daughters, Alyssa and Sienna.

Although the time demands are strenuous, Samaniego relishes the opportunity to serve her clients and work with her talented team.

“The best parts of my job are the clients I have the opportunity to work with and the partners and team members I surround myself with,” she said. “We are all very motivated to succeed and help each other. Working in an environment such as this makes work seem just about effortless.”

As president of the El Paso Chapter, Samaniego understands the importance of being involved in TSCPA. Although it takes time out of her dizzying schedule, she would not sacrifice the numerous opportunities to collaborate with fellow members, and share ideas and strategies to better accounting practices.

She said it’s crucial to have a group such as TSCPA that represents the profession. “It is very easy to get complacent with our daily life and it’s a comfort that someone is protecting our license.”

“I have enjoyed becoming involved on various committees and officer positions at a local chapter level and also at a state level, and appreciate the opportunity to be a part of an organization that assists in maintaining the integrity of my CPA license,” she added.