Aisha D. White
Manager-State & Local Tax
Rubin Brown, LLP
Born: St. Louis, MO
High School: Normandy Sr. High
College & Degree(s):
Tennessee State University, BA, Accounting
RBC Young Professionals
St. Louis Business Diversity Initiative Fellow-Cohort 9
In short, what do you do?
I provide state and local tax compliance and tax planning consulting services to clients in various industries. I help clients minimize their tax liabilities and stay in compliance with states.
What started your interest in accountancy/taxes?
My interest in accounting started in high school. I was always good with balancing numbers. I figured as long as there was money and government in the world then there will always be a need for an accountant. Taxes on the other hand picked me and not the other way around. No one likes taxes but I grew to like it. Taxes are a continuing learning concept and therefore it challenges me daily. Who doesn’t love a challenge every once in a while.
In your field, how do you measure success?
In my field success is measure by having a work life balance. We work a lot but it is also important to have time for family and your community. It’s also measured by dedication and providing superior quality service to our clients. Client satisfaction is the core of why we do what we do.
What advice would you give to high school students who enjoy math, but aren’t sure what degree to pursue?
Math is a versatile concept. Engineers, accountants, and financial analysts are usually good at math. Accounting is not just about numbers or math but more about concepts. High school students that enjoy math must first figure out why they enjoy it; is it because you like solving math problems or enjoy playing around with numbers. Once a student figure out why they like math than find a major that fit that concept.
Tell us about the Reid Scholarship Foundation, of which you were a founding member.
The Reid Scholarship Foundation was founded in 2009 and named after Sandra Reid, an educator in the Parkway School District who had three sons. Sandra Reid passed away in 2007 and we wanted to keep her legacy of helping black males through education alive. The Reid Scholarship Foundation is a 501(c)3 non for profit organization whose mission is to help eliminate the educational achievement gap on black males at a time; by providing financial assistance towards college expenses and empowering scholarship recipients to be leaders in the community and catalyst for social change. Since 2009 the Reid Scholarship Foundation has awarded over $9,000 in scholarship funds to graduating male seniors.
Tell us about your role as co-chair of the education committee at Delta Sigma Theta, along with some of the priorities for the committee for our region.
As Co-Chair of the Education committee for Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. the main priority was to raise funds to give to graduating high school students who were attending a college or university. Educational development is one of our Five Point Thrust and it is our duty as members of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. to help further the education of our youth. We are given the task to put together various fundraisers to raise scholarship funds and reach out to the community for assistance.
