– Veterans Day is celebrated on November 11th, and honors veterans who served in the United States military forces. Baker Tilly will celebrate the holiday on Friday, November 10th, with a day off for team members in the United States.
Baker Tilly
Network of Veterans Team Members
Baker Tilly’s internal Veterans Team Member Network, which was formed by and for team members who have served, provides a platform for team members to connect, access resources, and have conversations. Meet two veterans from the firm whose careers and lives have been shaped and inspired by their service.
Chiemi Perry, manager, Consulting: Senior Airman, Financial Management Services
Chiemi met her husband, who was stationed in Japan with the US Navy, while she was attending university in Tokyo. She moved to the United States with her husband, who had finished ten years of active military service, soon after getting a bachelor’s degree in business administration. Chiemi chose to join the US Air Force immediately after arriving in the United States after spending a lot of time with US military troops while living in Japan.
Chiemi’s career in the United States began with military service. Before joining the Air Force, she began studying to become a Certified Public Accountant in the United States, and she passed the CPA exam while serving. “The accounting experience I gained during the Air Force and passing the CPA exam helped me begin my career working as in the Texas State Auditor’s Office,” Chiemi explained.
Michelle Winkleman, managing director, Assurance: Senior Airman, Cryptologic Chinese Linguist
Michelle worked as a Cryptologic Chinese Linguist in the Air Force from 2000 until 2003. The Defense Language Institute (DLI) in Monterey, California, provides joint-service language instruction. Michelle spent 18 months there learning Chinese in a class taught by native speakers with peers from the Army, Navy, and Marine Corps.
“Day-to-day was a lot like school with military activities on top of it,” she said. “After class and other Air Force-specific obligations were over, we spent most evenings with classmates studying and trying to order Chinese food in Chinese from the very polite restauranteurs.” Michelle was assigned to Hickman Air Force Base in Hawaii, near Pearl Harbor, after completing her language training.
