An Accounting Pioneer

Laura Huisman

Laura Huisman, former director of finance/controller at L-3 Communications, was born with a passion for business.

As a child, she often noticed pictures of men heading to work and knew the office was where she belonged. It wasn't until her time at UNI that the 1969 alum realized her career path differed from her female peers and society's expectations.

Laura was one of the first female nonteaching, accounting graduates from UNI and went on to have a successful career in corporate, nonprofit and government accounting. She sat down with UNI's Women in Business student organization to share her experience and advice for the next generation of female leaders.

"If you ever lose your integrity, it will be very difficult to proceed," Laura says.

She spent the majority of her career in accounting and learned quickly that women can be their own worst enemies. It's important that women in business believe in themselves, she notes.

Laura credits UNI with launching her career.

"The education I received at UNI gave me a meaningful career with many opportunities. I had good experiences in the classroom, in music activities and student government," she says.

Her experiences have spurred Laura to give back so others can benefit from an UNI education.

"I am very impressed with the professional readiness program the College of Business Administration developed as it is an essential component of the overall education program. I want to see that continue," she says.

Laura gives annually to UNIBusiness and has included a gift in her trust to create the Laura W. Huisman Accounting Fund to provide support for the UNI Department of Accounting.