CityView Magazine

back to Fayetteville. She and her husband, Grady, both T grew up here and graduated from Terry Sanford High School, but they quickly realized that they weren’t the only ones to rediscover their hometown. Bigger cities like Raleigh or Charlotte may have lured their generation away for col- lege and early careers, but community brought them back. “It’s been great,” Stephenson said. “You feel like you’re part of something.” She found a job at Todd Rivenbark & Puryear and was made partner about two years ago. She belongs to a cabinet of young professionals in the North Carolina Association of CPAs, a group of 15 men and women under the age of 35. They talk about the balance between work and family and the challenge of convincing clients that young CPAs are just as capable as more experienced colleagues. Even now, Stephenson still gets sec- ond glances. “I feel that initial doubt,” she says. “That bothered me at first.” But now, she lets her work speak for itself. And anyone who thinks that tax returns and spreadsheets are the sum of an accountant’s work would be mis- taken. Stephenson helps business own- ers balance the books, but she may also help them decide whether to expand or, in some cases, close the doors. It’s a per- sonal connection she never had at her previous job. There, at the giant Deloitte & Touche in downtown Charlotte, Ste- phenson was one of thousands at a com- pany with offices around the world. Of course, when folks in Fayetteville find out her profession, they are quick to put her to work. She serves on the fi- nance committee at Highland Country Club, where she also plays on a com- petitive tennis team. It’s a quick drive down the street to her husband’s family business, Highland Cleaners, and a few blocks to see her mother. She’s home.CV aylor Stephenson traded in a job at a large firm in a big city for a job with a small firm in her hometown. A boy brought her Taylor Stephenson Certifi ed pub accountant Certifi ed public accountant CityViewNC.com | 39

• Cover