“The world is constantly changing, new laws, new regulations, new methods of doing business, new technologies – don’t sit back and rely on what you already know, or you will be outdated quickly.” These sage words come from Kathy Scheiern, B.A.'77, M.S.A.'78, the founder of PurposeWorks LLC, where she works as a consultant and coach. Kathy has truly followed her own advice. Considering her life and career a work in progress, Kathy has always challenged herself in terms of her career and education. She notes that her experience in the Haworth College of Business was “the foundation of everything!”
That foundation propelled her into an exciting career trajectory, “Without my M.S.A., I would not have gone to work for Coopers & Lybrand, gotten my CPA certificate, traveled the world, advanced to become domestic controller in the United States for Chiquita, and saved enough money to return to school [earning her Ph.D. in Interdisciplinary Studies from the Union Institute and University].”
Today, Scheiern lives in San Francisco and is creating connections and demand for her work in the Bay area.
Scheiern has mastered living life in the present moment, largely because of the life experiences that she has had while working internationally as an auditor and in other positions. One such experience stands out:
“While working in Guatemala City in 1982 I woke up in the middle of the night to a very loud noise and the room shaking. In my sleepy state, I thought there had been an earthquake, but since the room was still standing I went back to sleep. The next morning I learned that the bank building across the street had been blown up by guerrillas because it was a U.S.-based bank. Some people had been killed and the bodies were still on the street because the unit that dealt with this kind of thing was busy dealing with another bombing site across the city. During that time in my life, I did not believe that I would live to see the age I am now.”
Scheiern met many interesting and accomplished people all over the world, but she was ever-mindful of the precariousness of our place in the world order.
A life-member of the WMU Alumni Association, Scheiern feels that staying in touch with her university is vitally important. She maintains connections with the Haworth College of Business, the Lee Honors College, and the math and Spanish departments. She also encourages young people to consider WMU in their college search “because of its excellent positioning as an outstanding academic institution that is manageable in size.”
Scheiern spends her free time just as you may expect, primarily traveling, exploring new destinations, and trying out new experiences, “I am a continuous learner and the world is full of amazing opportunities to learn.”