Celebrating Our 2025 Pathfinders: Anita Holloway, CPA

Meet Anita Holloway, CPA

Anita Holloway, CPA, is an Oklahoma success story and world traveler. After graduating from East Central University and the University of Oklahoma, she began her career at Arthur Andersen LLP followed by time at EY, where she later served as Office Managing Partner. Now the partner-in-charge of world-wide audit and professional services to a Fortune 50 company, she still calls Tulsa home.

At EY, she is one of eleven members of the U.S. Governing Board and serves as the Chair of the Board for the US firm. In 2020, Governor Stitt appointed her to the Board of Regents at OU, where she is currently chair. Throughout her career, she has contributed to her community and the accounting profession, with a special focus on encouraging and mentoring young professionals. 

What She Has to Say

OSCPA: Why did you decide to become a CPA?

Holloway: I became a CPA with the intention of eventually becoming a securities attorney. My mother taught high school accounting, and I knew it was a great foundational degree as I had seen several of her students become Oklahoma CPAs. I loved that CPAs are respected for their integrity and professionalism and thought I would work in the profession for several years to gain experience and then return to law school. But I was hooked when I discovered public accounting, finding the work to be interesting and rewarding, with amazing opportunities to see, do, and learn many different things.

OSCPA: What are the most challenging and rewarding aspects of your career?

Holloway: The relationships. During my career, I have been taught and mentored by amazing experts in the profession who were invested in seeing me achieve my potential. This has allowed me to impact many companies and people in return. I have served as the auditor for many of our state's most important companies and made lifelong friends of clients. I have been our firm’s Tulsa Office Managing Partner, allowing me to combine my love for our state and clients with my passion for developing our state's next generation of CPAs (one of my most professionally fulfilling responsibilities). Each role has brought new relationships and given me the opportunity to pay back the many Pathfinders who educated, encouraged, and inspired me along my career journey.

OSCPA: What advice would you give to students pursuing accounting degrees and/or new CPA’s?

Holloway: Get involved in the profession and embrace opportunities that come your way, regardless of how intimidating some may seem. The things that challenge you will develop your skills in ways staying in your comfort zone will not. 

In my career, I have conducted inventories at a manufacturing plant in the Netherlands and at a drilling site on an island off the north slope of Alaska. I have toured a Kentucky coal mine 1,000 feet underground, taught oil and gas accounting in the middle east, and attended meetings in amazing places like Amsterdam, London, Paris, Dubai and Delhi, learning about other cultures and meeting people who work in accounting around the world. 

I have served numerous civic and charitable organizations, including the Tulsa Area United Way and the Tulsa Chamber of Commerce. Now, I now chair the OU Board of Regents and am a member of EY’s U.S. Governing Board. Each of these experiences would have been outside my comfort zone when I started my career, but by embracing career opportunities, I have developed skills and confidence and created amazing memories.

OSCPA: What are your hopes for and/or expectations of the future of the accounting profession?

Holloway: My hopes and expectations are that the accounting profession will continue to be respected for its integrity and professionalism, as well as the work ethic and diverse talents of the individuals who obtain degrees in accounting and pass the CPA exam. I hope to see more women achieving the highest levels within the profession, and I expect to see the profession continue to evolve as technology changes.

Accomplishments