MARY D. RICHTER CPA

Mary is a tax shareholder who has been serving tax clients for more than 25 years. She has worked in both public accounting and private industry. Mary has a diverse tax background with experience in federal, state and international tax and business issues and has provided dedicated client service to multinational manufacturing and service entities in all phases of the business cycle, from start-up to exit strategy.

Mary’s experience includes domestic and international tax planning, tax credits, accounting for income taxes and specific transaction planning and implementation for both public and private companies.

As a tax shareholder at Schneider Downs, Mary focuses on helping clients with international tax issues and opportunities. Mary regularly assists clients with business expansion abroad, both through internal growth and acquisition; foreign tax credit planning; cross-border transaction planning; as well as transfer pricing reviews and implementation. She has worked with clients throughout the world, including North America and South America, Europe, and Asia Pacific.

Education

BSBA – Accounting, Duquesne University

Professional and Community Involvement

Chair—PrimeGlobal International Tax Group – North America

Board Member—ACHIEVA

Board Member—Magee-Women’s Research Institute & Foundation

Member—Western Pennsylvania District Export Council (DEC)

Executive Team—United Way of Southwestern Pennsylvania Women’s Leadership Council

Member—American and Pennsylvania Institutes of Certified Public Accountants

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Do you have a hobby or personal passion?
Let’s Go, Pens!

What was the best advice you’ve ever received?
Treat everyone you meet as a future client or employer.

Who was your role model?
I try to learn something from everyone.

People would be surprised to know that I…….
Speak fluid Italian. Also, I am currently writing a nonfiction book.

What is the best or most interesting thing about your career?
Someone once told me that public accounting will treat you like a sponge – you will soak up as much as you want. There is always an opportunity to learn or do something new.

What was your first job?
I worked at my parent’s nursery over the summers.

Do you have advice for young professionals?
Ask questions. Try new things – even if they are difficult – particularly because they are challenging.

Our Thoughts On

FEATURED

Big Problem: Cybersecurity Defenses Compromised By Employees’ Passwords


Big Thinking: Significant Updates To The Cybersecurity Environment.

Shareholder ERIC WRIGHT has been involved with Information Technology with Schneider Downs since 1983 and oversees the firm’s thriving Technology Consulting and IT Audit & Compliance practices. Through this role, Eric brings extensive experience in assessing IT infrastructure and identifying cybersecurity risk and exposure.
One of our clients felt fairly good about their existing cybersecurity defenses. But they were still afraid of the unknown and newer cyber attack techniques. Through our regular audit procedures, we inquired about their current cyber controls and their confidence in withstanding an attack. We then performed a network penetration test which simulates an external adversary hacking their network. This procedure identified the client's unknown weaknesses in their defenses through a live test. “Within 48 hours, we were able to guess the passwords of close to 10% of their employees, effectively giving us VPN access to their corporate network and certain employee utilities, like email.” Eric said. "We also found that their corporate intranet site was visible over the internet and susceptible to login via the bad passwords. After identifying these issues, we worked with the client to make significant changes to their environment to make it harder for an attacker to break in." Schneider Downs provides Big Thinking and Personal Focus in delivering a variety of services for large and small businesses, both publicly and privately held, as well as nonprofit organizations, government entities and more. Through our commitment to thought leadership and knowledge management, we deliver the solutions our clients need with a personal commitment to service.

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