Struggling actor to CPA firm owner: One leader's unlikely path

Orumé Hays, CPA, CGMA, didn't follow a traditional path to owning an accounting practice. From Africa to the Big Apple, she blazed a trail all her own. Raised in Nigeria, Hays moved to Miami with a college degree in sociology and anthropology and a budding career in modeling and acting. Her pursuit of Hollywood stardom peaked with appearances in the 1996 movie The Birdcage. She then discovered a new passion. Pursuing education and experience, she built her accounting career and launched her own firm in New York City.