From Deloitte to Disney to UVA: UVAFinance welcomes Kathryn McGovern

From L to R:  Mickey,
McGovern, Minnie ;)

When Kathryn McGovern joined the Financial Reporting & Operations team as a Senior Accountant early this year, she was not only making a move from Orlando, Florida but also she was making a move into academia from one of the most well-recognized names in the hospitality industry:  the Walt Disney Company.

Prior to joining UVAFinance, McGovern had worked for over three years as a financial analyst in the Disney Cruise Line and the Disney Vacation Club.   During her time at Disney, McGovern says she not only honed her accounting skills but also, learned to cultivate partnerships with other departments in the company. 

This focus on teamwork was an extension of McGovern's experience at Deloitte, where she began her career, and where, she says, she learned to think of her colleagues as stakeholders and clients.   

"I got a solid foundation in teamwork at Deloitte," she says, adding that "they helped me learn how to best get what I needed to be successful while at the same time helping others get what they need as well."

McGovern and her younger brother (a fourth-
year at UVA) on a safari trek at Animal
Kingdom (McGovern's favorite Disney park)

McGovern's expertise and experience provide a solid foundation now in her role at UVA, as she is already jumping in with both feet on a number of fronts, including documentation of key state processes and deliverables, helping with the implementation of new GASB regulations, and much more.  In addition to the work she's doing within the UVAFinance team, she also expects to be involved with the Finance Strategic Transformation project soon.

When she's not working, McGovern (who is still a Disney fan, by the way!) and her friends enjoy coming together via Zoom to do yoga -- she recommends Yoga with Adriene on YouTube:  "Adriene has classes that fit any skill level, and her very cute dog is in a lot of the videos."  

And, like the rest of us, McGovern has found new shows to binge-watch during the pandemic; she and her family have recently gotten into the 16-episode series "Crash Landing on You," available on NetFlix.