CASSIE HARTOGS

Cassie Hartogs became a partner at her regional accounting network when she was 33 and has continued to rise in the leadership ranks over the past 18 years.

In May, Hartogs became BDO’s tax people operations managing partner, working with more than 3,800 tax professionals across the U.S. and streamlining operations and client offerings across 73 offices. She oversees a professional development training program and talent deployment, matching employees with aligned opportunities based on their interests and skills.

While growing up on a farm in Nettie, West Virginia, Hartogs looked up to her grandmother, who modeled how to balance career ambitions and caretaking. She says her grandmother, a teacher, became the first woman president of the board of education for Nicholas County in the 1980s. Hartogs says she incorporates her grandmother’s lessons into her life and has become known for her ability to see strengths in others and to help them swiftly advance their careers.

“I strive every day to empower the younger generation of CPAs to achieve greater heights in the accounting industry, just like my own mentors did for me,” she says.

Hartogs has served as co-leader on the leadership team for BDO’s National Women’s Inclusion group, a role in which she mentored other women professionals. She also serves on the Virginia Society of Certified Public Accountants’ DEI Advisory Council and has helped the organization launch a mentoring program.

In 2019, BDO presented Hartogs with its Seidman Neuhausen award, honoring exceptional staffers who embody the firm’s mission and core values and exhibit key attributes such as intellectual curiosity, technical rigor and client service.

Read more about the 2023 class of Virginia Business Women in Leadership Award winners.