Brady Ware Nonprofit Team Spotlight: Twana Cheek

They realized they needed to start thinking outside the box, even before such positions were a normal occurrence. We talked through the process, about expectations, and we made it work. The entire partner group has been very supportive throughout my career. Most clients wouldn’t even know I have a flex-time position. I still answer the phone when it rings. I answer emails quickly. I make sure my clients always have the assistance they need when they need it. During busy season, I still work every day. I just have more flexibility with my schedule to spend time with my family, which is important to me.

A Career Philosophy

I love being a part of making things happen; I’m not one to blindly follow the leader. We should work to improve things, to make them better, not make changes for the sake of making changes. That’s the wrong approach.

There’s more to success than a title. My career is more than just a job. I value my work and take pride in it, and I want to do the best job possible for my clients. You can structure a career around your family. For me, they’re the most important thing in life.

I like working with nonprofit organizations because my expertise can make a difference. I bring a resource of knowledge to them, helping them figure out internal processes and how to achieve things with the best outcome.

Strategy for Success

An audit is an audit, but we can improve training and look at processes from another angle. I encourage people to listen, and if something isn’t working, ask what we can do differently. I currently lead logistics for the Audit and Accounting Technical Committee, which is composed of team members from every office in different levels within the firm. Our primary role is to research new standards and figure out how we’re going to implement them firmwide. We determine what training our staff members need to stay on top of regulations.

In the last two years, I’ve learned an important lesson: be more flexible and be willing to step back and look at a challenge from a different perspective to come up with a solution. Pre-COVID, I think we all had our routines, and they were turned on their heads. Deadlines are deadlines, and they’re always going to exist, but we have to be able to come at them differently to get the work done.

Brady Ware Nonprofit Advisors want to help you fulfill your mission with financial health and compliance services and a network of nonprofit consultants who specialize in strategic decision-making.