This week, we sat down with Kimberly Manigault, BAHS’s Finance Officer, to discuss her childhood, her biggest accomplishments, and her best advice for parenting in an ever-changing world.
Finance Officer
Nationality: American
Current place of residence: New Jersey
Kim joined the BAHS team earlier this year with over 25 years of experience in the financial services industry, specializing in tax information reporting. Throughout her career, she has held various leadership and project management roles in the field of operations, client services and product management. She has worked for various global companies such as Merrill Lynch, Prudential and Broadridge. Kim holds a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting.
She is also a Board Member on her adult child’s non-profit education company, STEAM URBAN. STEAM URBAN collaborates with green spaces, schools, and community organizations in Black and Brown areas to provide dynamic and healing programmatic offerings that will begin to eradicate educational disparities, connect and uplift community members and expand community resources. Kim loves to laugh and believes in the old adage that a smile is worth a thousand words.
Where did you grow up?
A little town called Somerville, NJ.
Describe your childhood in 3 words.
Fearless, adventurous, spoiled.
What is your earliest memory?
Etched in my mind is this little red suit I wore to my first day of kindergarten. It was a matching jacket with knickers with a red/white checkered blouse and little brown loafers. I must have thought I was the best dressed ever as to reason why that memory stays.
When you were a child, what did you dream of growing up to be?
When I was a child, I dreamt of being a model. Not knowing any better, I convinced my mom to call a Sears department store and ask how I could be in one of their magazine ads. I don’t actually remember what was said, but it was probably along the lines of “wrong number – click”.
What are you proudest of?
I am most proud of watching the evolution of my adult child and how they are creating their own path in life. In particular they own a non-profit that is focused on the healing arts and education in underserved communities. I am also proud of myself for not giving up and receiving my Bachelor’s Degree later in life.
What do you love about your job?
I love numbers so I have always felt comfortable in the finance/accounting field. I also work with a fantastic group of intelligent, compassionate woman, which makes a great team environment.
What person (historical or current) would you love to spend a day with and why?
Growing up, my only living grandparent was my maternal grandmother. While I have such happy memories of her, I would love to spend the day with my other 3 grandparents just learning about the history of my family.
What do you do in times of stress?
I give myself a time out.
What do you do to unwind at the end of a long day?
Take a long bubble bath, do some lite yoga, put together a puzzle.
You’re a mother – do you have any advice for new parents?
I have been a parent for 33 years and I am still learning, but what comes to mind as advice for new parents would be to continually observe, learn and support your child’s natural path in life. The world is changing so much and so fast that sometimes “our way” as parents may become outdated. Try to maintain a balance between influencing your personal beliefs and experiences vs allowing your child to grow into their own skin.
Where is your happy place?
My happy place is at the beach or in nature.
What’s your idea of the perfect evening?
Somewhere dancing and listening to music.
Do you have any advice for young women just starting out in their careers?
Two things come to mind. If your company has a mentorship program, I would suggest joining to seek out a mentor or someone who can assist with how to navigate through and within the company as well as with your career path. An added benefit would be to identify mentors that can provide a diverse view such as someone from the opposite sex, gender, ethnicity or race. Second is to continue to learn and expand your marketability whether it’s in your chosen field or something new.
If you’d like to learn more about our team, you can visit this page. You can also find more Q&As with our team here.