UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State Smeal College of Business Dean Charles H. Whiteman recently announced the appointment of Bonnie Markowitz Yormack, 1989 marketing, to the Accounting Advisory Board.
Yormack is principal at Lynn-Mark Enterprises, a boutique accounting, tax and financial services firm in New York City.
“While many of our graduates embark on careers with the traditional Big Four accounting firms, Bonnie has taken a different, but highly successful path, as part of a family business,” said Whiteman. “As a small-business owner, she’ll bring a unique perspective to the table and I look forward to her insights.”
Yormack did not set out to own her own business. She’d been out of school just a few years when her father, Jerome Markowitz, 1949 engineering, invited her to join him at Lynn-Mark — the firm he founded in midtown Manhattan in the mid-1970s.
She jumped at the chance.
“I was fortunate to have the opportunity to learn from my dad before he retired,” she said. “Because I was young and had many networking outlets in the city, I was able to tap into a youthful set of clients and connect with new business owners in order to grow the business,” she said.
Yormark has continued to expand the firm’s client list and available services over her 25-year tenure as principal, adding IRS certified tax preparer, certified QuickBooks ProAdvisor, and notary to her credentials along the way.
She said she hopes her role on the board lets her share her experience and her expertise with the next generation of accountants.
“I want them to understand what it means to work hard and run a successful business. While the fundamentals are crucial, students should also leave Smeal with the knowledge and confidence to manage their personal finances,” she said.
Yormack’s son will become the third generation of the family to attend Penn State when he begins his freshman year this fall.
“I am over-the-moon excited that he is following my dad’s footsteps as well as mine,” she said. “If he wants to pursue a career in accounting, the business will be available to him. But we really just hope that he has an amazing college experience.”
The Accounting Advisory Board is made up of accounting, business, government and education professionals who have an interest in promoting accounting education and in furthering the development and practice of accounting. Board members typically meet twice each year.