As we close out March, Women’s History Month, here is a list of some of the female firsts in the tax and accounting arena:1
Christine Ross: First female CPA (1899)
Mary E. Murphy: Second U.S. woman to earn a Doctorate degree in accountancy (1938)
Selma Mortenson: First female Internal Revenue Agent (1940s?)
Dorothy G. Willard: First female president of National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) (1967)
Pauline Creal: First secretary of National Association of Enrolled Agents (NAEA) (1972)
Pat Burton, EA: First female president of NAEA (1985)
Shirley D. Peterson: First female Commissioner of Internal Revenue Service (1992)
Olivia F. Kirtley: First woman chair of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) (1998)
Janet Yellen: First female U.S. Secretary of the Treasury (2021)