As our primary role is to provide scholarship awards to high-achieving Chicago-area students to earn a college degree, money is very important here at the Wentcher Foundation. When discussing money, there is no one better to talk to than our very own star accountant Linda Hoffmann!
Working in accounting for 35 years, Linda told us that she got her start in accounting in a unconventional way. She first received her Bachelor’s Degree from University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in Nutrition. As she entered the workforce, she took a job at a publishing company where she found that she took more of an interest in business rather than health. The company she worked for at the time asked her if she would like to go back to school for accounting, and she said yes. After receiving her degree in Accounting from DePaul University, Linda became a certified public accountant and the rest was history!
Linda has served as the Finance Manager at the Wentcher Foundation since December 2014. In her role, Linda wears many hats. Primarily managing the financial aid of the Foundation, she also prepares the budget, does internal accounting, works with auditors, and verifies the financial need of every Wentcher Scholar with their university in order to maximize the Wentcher contribution and to ensure that no financial aid from their university gets displaced.
When asked what her favorite part of the job is Linda told us that she loves getting to know the students! She says that when she does get the opportunity to talk to students “it makes the job worthwhile” going beyond the award check getting to know the students receiving the scholarships. It is simply “the most rewarding part of the job” for her.
As the contact for all things financial at Wentcher, Linda wants our current and prospective scholars to know that “There are a few ways to use any leftover balance of their $10,000 yearly award if the school tells Wentcher we can only send an amount less than $10,000.” She also encourages all of our Wentcher scholars to contact her should they have any questions regarding finances.
Outside of accounting and the Wentcher Foundation, Linda is a wife, mother, avid reader, and movie lover. She also enjoys knitting, loves travel, and is looking forward to traveling when COVID restrictions are lifted. On her list of places to visit are New Zealand, Ireland, and Alaska.
We at the Wentcher Foundation are so grateful to Linda for her hard work and dedication! She is truly an asset to our team!
Author: Nia Harris
Currently living in NYC, Nia Harris is a NYU graduate and Fulbright Scholar working for the Wentcher Foundation as the Program Associate. She writes for her own blog, Nashari which you can find here.