By helping others, you build upon your legacy.
Bio
A trailblazer in the accounting industry, Jane started her career at Laventhol & Horwath, where she made history as the first woman tax partner at an international firm in Philadelphia. Her knowledge of family business consulting and wealth issues paved the way for Jane to co-found Drucker & Scaccetti, where she led the firm as CEO and eventually took over the role of Firm Ambassador and Chief Storyteller. With her acute understanding and strong relationships in the Philadelphia community, Jane finds the answers.
Currently, Jane continues to expand her governance experience as a board member of Penn Entertainment, Inc. (NASDAQ: PENN), serving as Audit Committee Chair and a member of their Compliance Committee; as well as Chair of the Board at the Mathematica Policy Research. Her prior board experience includes companies such as Myers Industries, Inc. (NYSE: MYE), The Pep Boys (NYSE: PBY) and DiGiorgio’s. As an SEC “audit committee financial expert,” Jane has conducted numerous whistleblower investigations and negotiated critical transactions for major corporations.
Jane is active in the community and serves on many civic and community boards, including:
Thanks to her civic service, Jane is a recognized community leader and educator. She believes in the transition of power and strives to create a foundation that the next generation of leaders can build upon.
Experience
At a previous CEO role, we shifted a singular focus on services for our established client relationships to how can we make a greater impact in our community. This was before community culture was in vogue. We knew it was the right thing to do for our team members. It helped us identify our purpose and guided how we executed our strategy.
It’s very comfortable to come in today and do what you did successfully yesterday. But, in client-centric businesses, you must make changes today that will allow you to continue serving your clients five years from now. You must embrace change and the opportunities it brings.
My favorite client was someone who understood professional teamwork and generational wealth. Wealth is more than just dollars. Some of it is family relationships and history; some of it is tradition. To help him build wealth for the next generation, we developed a team approach — the attorney, the investment advisor, the insurance expert and us with the focus on protecting his legacy.
Investing in your client relationships means you understand where they are and where they wish to go, and how we can help them achieve their goals. Years later, the client called to thank me for all those times when he was ready to give up and my professional advice helped him find his way back. Hearing him say I was responsible for his success meant the world.
There are squirrels that sit at the bottom of the tree and wait for the acorns to fall. Other squirrels run up the tree to shake it and run back down to help the other squirrels. Then, there are squirrels who fly from tree to tree looking for new opportunities and new ways to find acorns. That’s me.
I love working in other businesses and seeing something that we can incorporate successfully in our business, or that might apply to a particular client. And then I love taking that vision and moving towards it.
My proudest moment was watching my daughter receive a trailblazer award in the community. To see her as a young mother, balancing career and community with a special needs daughter whom she describes as perfect filled me with joy.
If you can help someone, do it. Connecting people, listening to someone or being a trusted advisor are all opportunities to build a fulfilling life.