The Kentucky CPA Journal

KyCPA member spotlights

• Georgia Keogh, CPA
• Niki Frailley, CPA, MS
• Andrea Fackler, CPA

Issue 2
April 27, 2020

Meet Andrea Fackler, CPA, a revenue requirement/cost of service manager for LG&E and KU Energy LLC in Louisville. She has two bachelor degrees, one in Accounting and the other in Business Administration – from the University of Kentucky. She became a CPA in 2009 while working in public accounting in Lexington and has spent the last 10 years working in corporate accounting and finance roles. She has had the opportunity to learn about the utility industry and what it means to operate as a regulated business.

What influenced your decision to become a CPA?

I don’t think I understood what becoming a CPA meant until interviewing for my after college graduation job. I was drawn toward the public accounting opportunities because of the varied work that it entailed. It was clear to me rather quickly how important becoming a CPA would be for my career.

What's the best aspect of your job?

In my current role, I oversee several different regulatory filings that we make with our jurisdictional regulatory commissions. These filings incorporate not only accounting data but also data from non-accounting groups, which allows me to understand how the operations side of the business connects with the regulatory and finance sides. I get to interact with, learn from, and also teach individuals from across the company.

Being a CPA, what opportunities did this career path open for you?

I began my professional career in public accounting, which is when I obtained my CPA license. I was able to work on both tax and audit work for various industries. When I joined LG&E and KU, I moved from the public to the private sector of accounting. However, I was working on our companies’ SEC filings so it was really a bridge between the two. I was now preparing the statements and disclosures rather than auditing them. I later transferred to a different accounting department and further developed my understanding of how we account for our revenues and calculate various accruals. In this area, I started to really develop expertise specific to the utility industry and our companies, which helped me in my next transfer to the state regulation and rates area. In this area, I have continued to enhance my accounting knowledge while at the same time build upon my knowledge of regulatory processes that impact our companies and how they operate. When I look back at where my career started, I can see the value that obtaining my CPA license and working in the public accounting sector has benefitted me even to this day in the private sector.

You are a KyCPA committee member. What committee are you on and how has your committee influenced the profession?

I am currently serving on the Members in Business and Industry Committee. We are responsible for coordinating industry conferences that not only provide CPAs with needed continuing professional education credits but also are relevant to issues facing CPAs today in various industries. Our goal is to keep CPAs informed while also providing them an opportunity to expand their networks when attending our conferences.

How has being a KyCPA committee member helped you make a difference?

Being a KyCPA committee member has expanded my professional network through the people that I work with on the committee. It has also allowed me the opportunity to bring ideas into consideration for future conference topics or recommend speakers from my personal network.

Any advice to students working towards becoming a CPA or new CPAs?

I would encourage them to really focus on what they are learning while working towards the certification. You never know what job you may be in 5 or 10 years down the road where you might be revisiting that knowledge and using it in real-world applications. The CPA license can open a lot of doors for you if you are willing to knock on them.