Rachel H. King
Blending passion and career
June 5, 2024
From a very young age, Rachel King knew she had an interest in health care. Both her parents were dentists and her father even wanted her to take over the practice someday. As a child, she watched her parents work, while also getting the opportunity to help them out around the practice.
There was just one problem — she knew she didn’t have the
stomach for health care.
“I was honest with myself right from the start,” King said. “I just knew I couldn’t do the type of direct health care work they were doing!”
But she knew she wanted to do something with health care, even if it meant being a little out-of-the-box. So, when she had the opportunity to enter accounting, she decided to go the public route with a focus on health care.
That raised another problem.
“I really did not enjoy the audit path,” King admitted with a laugh. “It did not resonate at all, and I felt pigeon-holed into a specific area, which felt way too myopic for my interests or my personality.”
Enter a switch to tax, a new niche to focus on and the determination to create a new role for herself at Children’s Minnesota.
Crafting a career
King has now been with Children’s Minnesota for more than 10 years. Throughout that time, she created roles for herself as she moved up the ladder, considering how she could fill the needs of the organization in a way that showcased her specific skill sets.
“What I do now is classic accounting stuff — audits, responsible for the taxes, and so on,” King said. “But there is a section of my role that I created on my own that focuses on helping the legal department, strategy department and internal operations work. A lot of what I do is connecting dots between multiple departments.”
For King, what links all of these seemingly disparate tasks is not the math of it all, but rather the opportunity to solve a puzzle.
In her mind, there is always a reason to have a CPA in the room, even if the issue doesn’t initially seem like it would call for one. In her experience, even a facilities problem can become a tax problem — which means someone with a CPA is crucial.
“What makes accounting so appealing to me is everything has a place,” King said. “There is a debit and a credit for every transaction, so everything is equal. And if things aren’t equal, then that is an answer in its own way. There is always a right answer that you extrapolate into the different rules.”
King’s willingness to share her career path and experiences has led to her participation in several MNCPA committees and initiatives that focus on showcasing what it means to be a CPA to younger generations who may be considering the profession.
“Addressing the pipeline is a passion of mine,” King said. “If my story can inspire someone else to look at the profession in a new, exciting way, I’m happy to be a part of it.”
Topics: Member Profiles
Julia Shiota
Julia Shiota is the MNCPA’s communications coordinator, bringing her passion for storytelling to members through content development, media relations, and covering member accomplishments and events. Outside of her work with the MNCPA, Julia enjoys knitting, reading, and keeping track of all the birds she encounters on nature walks. You can reach Julia at 952-855-5533 or at jshiota@mncpa.org.
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