Geralyn Hurd
Partner
Crowe Horwath
Excellence in Public Sector
Geralyn Hurd is a Partner and National Tax Exempt Practice Leader at Crowe Horwath. During the last four years, that practice area has achieved an annual growth rate exceeding 25 percent.
Hurd, who has been a tax exempt specialist for more than 20 years, is nationally recognized as a specialist in her field. Leveraging Crowe's value creation process, Hurd developed an IRS-approved software that combines project management with tax expertise: the patent-pending Crowe Tax Risk Assessment and Control (C-TRAC) solution.
Since launching C-TRAC in 2008, Hurd and her team of specialists have served some of the world's largest health systems, universities, private foundations and national organizations using this enabling technology.
"I am most proud that our firm has received national recognition as a thought leader and solution developer for the tax-exempt community," Hurd says. "As the only solution of its kind, C-TRAC has wedged us into opportunities where we can showcase our expertise."
Hurd says other firms have even approached Crowe about wanting access to the C-TRAC solution. "That's quite a change from being virtually unknown in the tax-exempt space five years ago," Hurd says. "I am also proud that by listening closely to our clients, we're able to make enhancements to our solution to increase the value that we bring. It's especially gratifying to show a client that came forward with an idea, how we've incorporated that idea into our solution."
Working with public sector clients who are tax exempt may seem like a strange path, Hurd admits, but says the work is both challenging and rewarding, and she'd have it no other way.
"It may seem like an oxymoron but what's interesting is that my role has become so much broader than that of a typical tax accountant," Hurd says. "Working in the public sector is very rewarding. It's wonderful to work with mission-oriented people who do so much good in this world."
And Hurd made herself a promise that she would always give them her all. "Whether it's serving clients or leading a team, people don't care how much you know until they know how much you care. There are lots of talented professionals, but if they never return your call, are they really helpful?" she says. "I made a pact early in my career—no one would care more about their clients or people. This has been my guiding philosophy."
Q&A: What does winning the Top 25 award mean to you?
"It's an honor. I viewed bios of past winners and the list is so impressive. It's a privilege to be considered amongst these leaders. I wouldn't have found success without the support of Crowe, my team or my clients who have chosen to work with my team over other consultants. This is also a terrific opportunity for Crowe to be the firm known for challenging the status quo by continuously creating unique, differential solutions to solve our clients' problems."
© Arc, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to TMSalesOperations@arc-network.com. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.