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Cindy Underwood ’88 and James Carter ’95

Cindy Underwood ’88 and James Carter ’95 were the featured speakers at the May 1 Ruth A. Miller Senior Business Seminar, which was the final class of the year. Underwood and Carter are partners in the consulting firm C&J Financial Foundations in Pittsburgh, Pa.

During the last week of class, the speakers of the hour were Cindy Underwood and James Carter. Ms. Underwood is a 1988 graduate who studied accounting and business. Mr. Carter was a 1995 graduate who majored in accounting.” Jacara Green ’25

“For our final class of the semester, we were fortunate to have two speakers, Cindy Underwood ’88 and James Carter ’95, join us. Their presentation began with an interactive exercise aimed at demonstrating finding common ground and improving interpersonal connections.” Emma Hatfield ’25

“Cindy Underwood and James Carter spoke to the class about their own professional careers and then how their partnership came about. They were both very humorous and brought a lot of liveliness into their speeches. I enjoyed their personalities, and they were a wonderful close to this course.” Hailey McClain ’24

“Cindy and James started the night with an activity that was meant to show us how we are all connected and are more alike than we think. Then they both told us their background stories and talked about their business that they run together.” Madi Yurich ’24

“Cindy opened the discussion by reflecting on her time at Thiel, where she excelled as a basketball player. Initially drawn to Thiel for its basketball program, Cindy ultimately chose the school for its welcoming atmosphere and strong sense of community, which differed from her hometown. She pursued a major in accounting and business, citing Prof. Miller as her favorite professor.” Emma Hatfield ’25

“Cindy's athletic ability brought her to Thiel to play basketball, where she became the all-time leading rebounder and was inducted into the Thiel Athletics Hall of Fame.” Jackson Pletcher ’24

“After graduation, Cindy only interviewed at one place, which was the IRS. She started working specifically in auditing for individuals and small corporations and then moved to the criminal side of the IRS. She explained that working for a governmental agency was beneficial to her since they trained her well and provided her with the ability to make her own schedule and work her own cases.” Hailey McClain ’24

“At first, she just did auditing and was about to quit when she took an opportunity to transfer to the criminal side of the IRS.” George Tice ’24

“While at the IRS, she did undercover for a while and even fronted as an exotic dancer on one of the tax returns. She was also briefly on the presidential detail but said it was not that exciting because she just got to guard a garbage can.” Abigail Sefton ’25

“James shared his journey next, highlighting his college experience and career. Initially at Thiel for football, he described the college as having chosen him. Despite starting as an engineering major, James struggled with calculus and realized it wasn't the right fit. Contemplating leaving college, an admissions counselor suggested he explore accounting, which he found intriguing. By the third day of classes, James was certain he had found his calling.” Emma Hatfield ’25

“After college, he worked in construction in Pittsburgh, but he has also held a lot of jobs since then. He has worked in banks, healthcare, the legal system, a cemetery, he has been a football coach, and he has even worked at an ice cream truck. He also prides himself on doing the books for his sister-in-law’s small business, which provides a home for people with disabilities. Overall, he believes that he has taken away a learning experience from each job.” Madi Yurich ’24

“I found it encouraging that his favorite job was being an ice cream vendor! A job that to most would serve as a placeholder to find the next best thing, James embraced it and learned how to manage expenses, market, and found it taught him the importance of the role he played in not only the success in himself, but also the individual he was working for. This further shows that every experience in this life is one that holds valuable learning experiences.” Julianne Slagle ’24

“Ms. Underwood and Mr. Carter met at an alumni event, after which they did some projects together. These projects ended up showing both of them that they complement each other well. Ms. Underwood is effective at analyzing a balance sheet and is more extroverted. Mr. Carter is great at working with large amounts of data and is more introverted. Currently, they are business partners in C&J Financial Foundations. They primarily work with the entrepreneurial world.” Abraham Hochstetler ’24

“Despite initially seeking networking assistance, James serendipitously connected with Cindy, eventually assisting her father with bookkeeping for an American Legion project seeking a loan for a new building. Their paths intertwine, reflecting diverse experiences and a shared connection to Thiel.” Jackson Pletcher ’24

“They started working together, once they discovered some of these small yet common things about each other. Once they did a few projects together, they both realized they had a great synergy together.  They work with small businesses, writing business plans and helping them grow.” Damion Grinnell ’25

“Cindy and James have a great partnership and great synergy. James does all the record and bookkeeping and is the good police officer, while Cindy talks to the clients and is the bad police officer.” Abigail Sefton ’25

“Looking to the future, they are currently growing and making plans to further their progress as a business.” Hailey McClain ’24

“James and Cindy had a nice synergy together that kept me interested the whole time. The main topics I took away were developing your skills and expanding your reach.” Connor Lovic ’24

“When talking about specific skills, both James and Cindy put an emphasis on personal skills and their importance. You may be the smartest person in the world with a lot of ability, but if you can’t work with a team and lack communication, it can be more detrimental than beneficial.” Connor Lovic ’24

“Cindy gave multiple pieces of advice for life after Thiel which one of them was to stay true to your faith and build yourself up through God.” Aidan Rispoli ’25

“After hearing both James’ and Cindy’s stories, it is very clear that they are very driven and genuine people. Not only do they value their careers and their work, but they also value their happiness, which is very important. It was truly an honor to hear from both last night.” Taya Sykes ’24

“What made you choose Thiel?

• James – “Thiel chose me.”
• Cindy – “I chose Thiel because of the people.”  Isaac Sasala ’24

“Thiel is important, and you do not realize it until you go out into the world.” Abigail Sefton ’25

“Professor Miller had an amazing impact on her life, as she explained, and while I didn’t get the opportunity to meet him, she along with everyone that has mentioned the impact that he made proves that his legacy at Thiel was immense and continues to grow through those who teach others what he has taught them.” Julianne Slagle ’24

“One thing we learned was that ‘Thiel supports Thiel’ which means that Thiel alumni look out for one another in the world and help each other move up in that world.” Jacob Traupman ’24

“Cindy and James brought a very lightheartedness to the room during their presentation. It was very evident the connection they had with one another through the way they went with the flow of the conversation and built off one another’s ideas.” Julianne Slagle ’24

“Overall, I really enjoyed both speakers and loved how their energy bounced back and forth for the whole time.” Connor Lovic ’24

Lessons Learned

• “Be proud of where you came from.” Madi Yurich ’24
• “Networking and alumni connections play an important role in your career and success.” Yeryoung Kim ’24
• “Connect with each other, alumni, everyone who has helped you.” Isaac Sasala ’24
• “By sharing personal stories, you can create genuine bonds and build better relationships.” Yeryoung Kim ’24
• “Do not be afraid to shake someone’s hand and look them in the eye, which goes a long way.” Abigail Sefton ’25
• “Connect with as many people as possible and stay in touch with them.” Taya Sykes ’24
• “If you have a passion or a gift to give to this earth, bring it." Jacara Green ’25
• “Do not be afraid to follow your purpose in life.” Emma Hatfield ’25
• “You can always learn something from every job and experience.” Zach Bergstresser ’25
• “Don’t think you have to stay in your lane, broaden your horizon.” Nick DiLullo ’24
• “Do not be afraid to shift your path.” Jackson Pletcher ’24
• “Learn to stretch, grow, and pivot.” Connor Lovic ’24
• “Learn the art of accountability and leadership.” Hailey McClain ’24
• “You decide how you eat, where you eat, and where you sleep. You decide." Jacara Green ’25
• “Do not work for a company that does not have standard operating procedures (SOP).” Abigail Sefton ’25
• “Know your market.” Madi Yurich ’24
• “Working with small business owners can promote mutual success and provide mutual learning.” Yeryoung Kim ’24
• “Bill them ’til you like them” George Tice ’24

Dinner Dishing

• “Yeryoung Kim and her friends, along with the AVI team, selected and executed an amazing set of authentic Korean dishes for dinner.” Zach Bergstresser ’25
• “We had a Korean style spread that outperformed most, if not all the others. We had pickled eggs, kimchi (salted and fermented cabbage and vegetables), pickled cucumbers and radishes. The main dish was strips of steak over a bed of rice with sides of vegetables. I love spicy food, so it was nice to have the option of gochujang, a fermented red pepper paste/sauce on the rice. It was a fantastic way to step out of a comfort zone with food and try something not really offered in this area much. A wonderful last dinner!” Damion Grinnell ’25
• “My favorite part of the meal was dessert, which was a pancake filled with brown sugar topped with ice cream, called “hotteok.” I was very pleased and plan on trying more entrées from their culture.” Jacara Green ’25
• “Dinner was adventurous and opened my eyes to South Korean culture. I thoroughly enjoyed the company I had at the table and the conversation flowed freely. It was fun speaking with Mr. Carter because we coincidentally live in neighboring towns!” Hailey McClain ’24
• “This dinner stands out as one of my favorites from the semester, offering a unique experience that I otherwise wouldn't have had the opportunity to enjoy.” Emma Hatfield ’25