Solving Problems from Pre-K to College
In 2005, when Kelvin Smith, CPA, MBA, announced his resignation from being the controller at Mercer County Community College for another opportunity, they didn’t exactly let him leave. Instead of giving the usual two weeks’ notice, he ended up extending his stay to help them complete their annual audit. And since he was so helpful, they offered him a teaching position even after leaving the school earlier than originally planned.
Twelve years later, Kelvin is still teaching as an adjunct professor at Mercer and he also has been teaching at Thomas Edison State University for their online course division for 11 years. Due to the high demand for online courses, he is busier than most adjunct professors in the summer — these courses are shorter and require more condensing of accounting subject matter than regular courses during the school year. He teaches financial and managerial accounting and other courses from entry level to intermediate accounting, auditing, fundraising management and graduate accounting courses.
Loving every minute of teaching, Kelvin says, “there’s something special about providing a service that’s going to help students. I like the interaction with students and giving back.” Kelvin’s wife, Delores, calls him “God’s helper” since he is a mentor to many students and provides guidance on how to get on the right track with their career and lifestyle. Delores helps keep him organized and grounded.
And that’s no easy task. For his day job, Kelvin is the School Board Administrator for the Willingboro School District in Burlington. He manages the day-to-day operations of running the pre-k to 12th grade school district as well as the food service component of the schools, which consists of about 100 employees. A typical day might involve consulting with the school board attorney; overseeing staff who manage payroll; transportation, such as school busing and special needs’ access; and facilities, including the school grounds.
“When I’m in the classroom, I talk about my job at the school district,” he said. And when he’s at his job at the school district, he draws on all his experience from working with students and helping with programs such as Read Across America. “Based on my work experiences, I’m able to do these varied areas of my job. When I go to work, I really enjoy what I do. It’s part of who I am,” he said.
Kelvin is truly an example of how accounting, in his words, can lead to “a great, diversified experience.” Previously, he was the director of finance for Trenton Housing Authority and worked at Stockton University as payroll manager. In addition, Kelvin operates his own CPA practice with his wife. Their small firm has 15 diverse clients ranging from nonprofit organizations to defense, real estate and health care industries.
“I just love what I do. I thank God that He somehow allows me to manage all this stuff,” said Kelvin. It also comes down to good staff and qualified people in his departments. “I have a great staff at my full-time job. We sit down and we talk.”
No Time to Retire
When retirement finally comes, Kelvin doesn’t plan on slowing down much. He wants to continue teaching, for one. “When I retire, it will give me time to do more,” he readily admits. Kelvin also says he will consider offering additional services to clients; he doesn’t currently do attest engagements, for example.
And he plans on continuing to assist students and aspiring CPAs. His main message to pass on: “Once I obtained my CPA license, I realized I could accomplish anything. If I can do it, you certainly can.