Angela Rudolph-Wiseman ’99 chose Shenandoah University for its location and the welcoming feeling of being at home it provided her. As a high-achieving scholar in high school, Rudolph-Wiseman was awarded the Presidential Scholarship at Shenandoah, which made her collegiate decision even easier.
“Shenandoah has the small town feel with the opportunities of larger schools,” said Rudolph-Wiseman.
Some of Rudolph-Wiseman’s fondest memories of Shenandoah include the dorm life, meeting new people and working in the business office. While working in the business office’s accounting department, she gained valuable real-world experience, which prepared her for a successful career after graduation. She also enrolled in courses outside of accounting to broaden her interpersonal skills to help her when interacting with future clients.
Today, she serves as principal for Hottel & Willis, P.C. in Winchester, Virginia. Prior to this role, Rudolph-Wiseman was a cost accountant for American Woodwark and then accepted a position at Rutherford & Johnson, P.C., where she spent over 23 years. While at Rutherford & Johnson, she climbed the ranks to principal where she had “the opportunity to work with a variety of clients in multiple industries.” Rudolph-Wiseman helped small businesses make smart financial decisions and assisted clients “to comply with tax filings and help in planning so they can maximize their deductions.”
Her most rewarding experiences in the field of public accounting are when she gets to work for clients that cannot do for themselves. She has counseled divorcing spouses, recent widows and other people facing the everyday challenges of life. “It’s a wonderful feeling to see them leave my office with burdens lifted,” said Rudolph-Wiseman.
Outside of work, Rudolph-Wiseman believes in giving back to her community, serving as the finance chair for Burnt Factory Church for 15 years. She is also a member of the Finance Committee for Frederick County, Virginia, and in February 2024 was appointed to the Virginia Board of Accountancy by Governor Glenn Youngkin. She is also a past president of the Winchester Exchange Club and co-led the Winchester Area Temporary Thermal Shelter for her church for several years.
Rudolph-Wiseman believes her Shenandoah education prepared her for her career through her business school experiences and the courses she took outside of her accounting program. “Despite being enrolled primarily in accounting courses, some of my most memorable coursework came through public speaking and the human resources courses,” said Rudolph-Wiseman. “I learned my technical competencies through the accounting courses but the others provided me a good foundation in soft skills to interact with clients and employees in the years to come.”
Rudolph-Wiseman’s advice to current and future students is to: “Take multiple internships during their coursework. This will give a better idea of what they like/dislike about different areas of the profession. I also encourage them to take the CPA exam as soon as possible to keep the knowledge from school fresh.”