Boise State College of Business and Economics (COBE) accountancy alumnus Chris Bender is a published historical fiction author and award-winning screenwriter, whose accounting background provided an unexpected foundation for a thriving career in the creative arts. Here she shares about how her Boise State education helped shape her journey.
Q: How did you end up at Boise State?
A: I was born in Idaho, actually I’m a fourth generation Idahoan. Although my family moved to Chicago, L.A. and San Diego while I was growing up, I always knew I wanted to graduate from Boise State.
Q: How did you select your degree path?
A: My father gave me some of the best advice of my life when he said that I’d never regret getting an accounting degree. I certainly haven’t. The ability to help direct personal financial goals as well as corporations from start-up to success is a talent that will always be in demand.
Q: What advice would you give a student who was considering studying accounting?
A: Do it. Such a degree will not only lead you into the career you might be anticipating, but it will open doors to many other possibilities that you might not even imagine as you begin your studies. Those skills will translate to innumerable variations.
Q: Where has your degree led you?
A: Immediately after graduation I worked in the tax department of Morrison Knudsen Co. before accepting an offer from Coopers and Lybrandt in public accounting, My husband and I later moved to Chicago where I worked at the world headquarters of Arthur Andersen & Co. for two years before we returned to Boise. Following the birth of my first set of twins I opened my own small practice.
Fifteen years later, surprisingly, I began to write historical fiction in my spare time. There wasn’t much leisure time with two sets of twins, but eventually, my first novel was published, I sold my accounting firm so that I could develop my writing career, and now my fifth book “The Far Reach of Yesterday” is about to be released. Even more surprising, my screenplay based on this latest story (mostly set in Idaho City of 1864) has won the Diamond Globe Award in New York and two more screenplay awards in Los Angeles. Who would have guessed that tax law research would evolve into historical research? I never dreamed that my accounting degree would help lead me onto a red carpet in Beverly Hills.
Q: How would you describe your job?
A: After my book launch this month I will begin writing a television series (perhaps for Netflix). I hope to write several more novels as well, and perhaps more screenplays.
Q: What’s one thing you wish you knew as a student that you know now?
A: You don’t need to question whether your degree will lead you on your best path. Believe that you can steer your life and career much better with that degree in your back pocket, regardless of the surprises ahead.
Q: How do you stay connected with Boise State and COBE?
A: My husband and I are huge Boise State fans, of education as well as sports. I have been a speaker at Boise State a few times on subjects related to my writing and research, and Morgan Harris (Director of Development at COBE) is wonderful about keeping us updated on news.
Q: What are some of the biggest trends you see shaping your industry, and how can COBE prepare students for these changes?
A: Some might wonder how accounting relates to the writing and film industry, but being able to budget, plan your strategy, and forecast sales and profitability is a part of any business. Both publishing and film production have gotten even more competitive over the years, making forecasting more important than ever. Preparing students to apply their accounting skills to the great diversity of businesses they may find themselves involved with is a challenge that COBE is well able to meet.
Future Spotlights
If you’d like to suggest an accomplished COBE alum for a future Alumni Spotlight, please let us know! Reach out to COBE Advancement Coordinator Griffin Zue at griffinzue@boisestate.edu.