Mary Stelmach joined the Ross Buehler Falk (RBF) team at the beginning of 2017. She was hired shortly after graduating from college, which means she has spent her entire professional career with RBF. Mary currently serves as a staff accountant (level 2). A self-described “hybrid accountant,” she works on both audit and tax engagements. Specifically, she performs the detail work for audits, reviews, and compilations and prepares the related financial statements. She also prepares federal and state income tax returns for individuals, C Corporations, S Corporations, partnerships, and non-profits. Mary is involved with year-end tax planning for businesses and individuals, as well as the preparation of quarterly and annual payroll returns, Forms W-3 and W-2, and Forms 1096 and 1099. While RBF is Mary’s first “real” job, she did get some real-world experience during her senior year of college, when she interned at a tax office in Radnor, PA. She also gained experience preparing tax returns at a firm in Wyomissing, PA in 2016.
A summa cum laude graduate of Cabrini University, Mary earned a Bachelor of Science in accounting in 2015 and a master’s degree in accounting in 2017. She was the top member of her master’s class and was given the honor of carrying the school banner in the graduation procession. In addition to earning a GPA of 4.0 in both degree programs, Mary set a new record for the school. She explained, “I was the first Cabrini master of accounting graduate to pass all four sections of the CPA exam prior to graduating!”
Mary is a Pennsylvania native and loves getting to live close to her family. Her father is a cabinet maker at Birchcraft Kitchens in Reading, PA and her mother is a homemaker. Her sister, Natalie, and her Aunt Nancy also live nearby—they are a tight-knit group. Mary and her husband live together in Shillington. “My favorite thing about living in Shillington is my family,” she explained.
In addition to her human family members, Mary calls her many cats family. She claims Previous and Muffin, who live with her parents, Magic and Paris, who live with her and her husband, and Sammy, who lives with her aunt. When asked what question she would most like to know the answer to, Mary responded, “Why does my cat Paris like to push my adorable (and breakable!) Thanksgiving turkey napkin holder all the way to the edge of the table so that it looks like it will fall off? I feel like the answer is ‘because she can,’ but still.” Despite their sometimes-mischievous behavior, Mary loves her cats dearly. When asked what she would do with the extra time if she didn’t ever have to sleep, her quick response was “I would watch Hallmark movies with my cats.”
Want to get to know Mary even better? We asked a variety of silly questions, and here’s what we learned:
- Mary taught herself how to juggle during high school—an accomplishment of which she is still proud. “Three is my max,” she explained.
- Her favorite smell is “the first real day of Spring when you can smell all the flowers and the fresh air.”
- The most unusual thing that Mary has ever eaten? Alpaca hot dogs. “My husband’s mom has an alpaca farm.”
- Costa Rica is the farthest from home that Mary has ever travelled. “I went there over Spring Break to learn about Free and Fair Trade in college.”
When asked one of the classic get-to-know-you questions—”If you could have any super power, what would you choose?”—Mary gave a response that really speaks to her character: “I would choose the power to make people happy and give them a reason to be happy.” In light of this, it certainly makes sense that Mary’s husband describes her as thoughtful, clever, and caring.