Will Clinkscales

Manager – Financial Reporting & Budgeting, Indiana University Health
INCPAS Scholar Indianapolis 2011–12
Attended Kelley School of Business – IUPUI

We have shared several stories about our INCPAS Scholars throughout the years. Since many of them have now graduated college, are beginning to pass the CPA Exam, enter the profession and earn their license, we thought it would be fun to follow up with them and see how they are doing.

Will was in our very first class of Scholars and has stayed involved with the program from the beginning. He currently works at Indiana University Health. In the winter of 2017, he was working as a tax associate at PwC after interning there twice. Will updated us on how the connections he made paid off, as he was recently promoted.

INCPAS: In the winter of 2017, you shared your thoughts in a CPA IN Perspective article about the importance of building great relationships and how that influenced your decision about where to work. How did this takeaway help you after you graduated?

Will: Great relationships were essentially the launch pad for my career. My mentor Charles Munsell, who was a manager at PwC at the time but is now partner, had a client obligation that prevented him from attending the first Scholars event. Instead, I was able to pick the brains of Bill Sharkey, tax partner at PwC, and began a relationship that accelerated my outlook for how I could be successful in the profession. It absolutely determined what life after college was going to look like for me. If I had to guess in numerical terms how much of my decision on where to work had to do with the company or the relationships I built, I would say 10% was for the company and the vast majority was all about the relationships.

Speaking at the 2017 INCPAS Scholars Alumni workshop to current Scholars about his experience

INCPAS: You started your career in public accounting at PwC after completing two internships there. Then you shifted to corporate finance and have been working at Indiana University Health for the last three and a half years. What made you decide to move to a career in corporate finance?

Will: Public accounting was a great learning experience and instilled a work ethic in me that I am so thankful for. I also had the opportunity to experience many different industries at a high level. Early on, I realized I wanted to work in a specific sector where I could continue to learn like a sponge but in a more focused manner. Health care was always an interesting place I hoped to land one day. If the last two years has taught the world anything, it should be that the health care industry is no stranger to adaptation and fast-paced change. IU Health has really impressed me with their response to the pandemic overall, which is something I am glad to be a part of.

INCPAS: You were recently promoted to manager at IU Health. Congratulations! What are your career goals now? Have you shifted any priorities?

Will: It is very special to me that IU Health has recognized my potential as a leader and given me the opportunity to grow. My current goals are to live up to my potential in this new position. I have taken leadership seminars, including INCPAS’ Young Pros Leadership Academy, read books and watched TED talks throughout the years. I will continue to learn how to be the best leader I can be and develop those around me to be even better leaders.

INCPAS: What is your favorite part of your job?

Will: My favorite part about working at IU Health is that although I have been with the company for nearly four years, I continue to learn something new every day. I also love the team I get to work with both internally and externally. IU Health is in the business of caring for others and that same perspective and culture is apparent within our finance/accounting department.

Will and his wife, Danielle, with their two dogs

INCPAS: You stayed involved with INCPAS Scholars even after you graduated from the program. Why is your continued involvement important to you? What advice do you have for current INCPAS Scholars?

Will: I think it’s important to stay involved and pay forward the experiences I was lucky enough to be a recipient of. I would tell any current Scholar now to not be afraid to ask for help no matter what it looks like, and to continue to grow your network so the list of people who can help is exponential.

INCPAS Scholars is an award-winning, free program that encourages high school students to consider becoming a CPA. The only program of its kind, INCPAS Scholars introduces students to the profession by pairing them with practicing CPAs, touring CPA firms and businesses that employ CPAs, and participating in events to immerse them in the profession. You can support the program at incpas.org/Scholars. 

Want to get involved as an INCPAS Scholars mentor? 
Contact Ali Paul, CAE, INCPAS VP – Pipeline & Outreach, for more information.

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