Associate Vice Chancellor and Controller Shannon Turner is a Bay Area native, starting her UCSF career in 2013 as a general accounting manager. Within a few years, she was promoted to Assistant Controller of Accounting and Reporting and then advanced again to her current role of Controller in 2019. She talked with us about her role as Controller, her path to UCSF and her best career advice.
What does a Controller do?
A Controller is the person responsible for leading accounting departments to ensure proper oversight and internal financial controls are in place so that transactions are recorded appropriately to produce financial statements for the organization – checks and balances that safeguard our assets. UCSF’s “assets” include cash, capital assets (such as equipment) and investments, with about $1.7 billion in contracts and grant-award revenue in FY22. Our team of about 100 in the Controller’s Office prides itself on providing daily back-office support and access to financial information so that our customers can focus on their front-line mission of research and education.
Tell us about your path to UCSF.
After I received my accounting degree, I started working at Ernst & Young, one of the “Big Four” accounting firms, on the audit side. I focused on big clients like Hewlett-Packard and smaller biotech firms. It’s an intense work environment, where most employees get a few years of experience and move on. After gaining more experience at smaller companies, I moved to Tennessee to work for FedEx with a focus on international accounting, ranging from internal financial control oversight to process improvement projects to merger and acquisition work. It was a tremendous opportunity to work with people across all levels of the FedEx organization and travel the globe. When I decided to move back to the Bay Area, I was looking for the same dedication to the mission and people-centric values that I found at FedEx, and I found that in UCSF.
What is your best career advice?
Investing in my professional development and pushing myself to say yes to opportunities has been a key to my progress. I’ve found ways to build on my skillset wherever I work. At FedEx, I participated in a year-long leadership development program that I took very seriously. I learned the most from saying yes and volunteering for opportunities that took me out of my comfort zone. When you step outside your day-to-day job to try something new or be a part of a new group, you learn things that help you in life and work.
I also seek advice from people who think differently than me. During the FedEx leadership program, I choose a mentor who had been the most challenging person I had ever worked for because I thought I could learn the most from his perspective and strengths. He gave me the most direct, straight-up advice and we were able to talk about things in a non-emotional way.
