Accounting for Good
Tamour Kousha ’05
If there’s one thing Tamour Kousha ’05 has learned since he was first introduced to the field of accounting in high school, it is that a career as an accountant can be dynamic and diverse.
“I had a wonderful business teacher in high school,” he recalls. “She opened my eyes to the possibilities offered by a career in accounting. She also assured me that there would always be a need for people with accounting skills.”
Kousha took that advice to heart and to Montclair’s Feliciano School of Business, where he successfully balanced the demands of an accounting major, internships and multiple part-time jobs. He even managed to make time to participate in the student-led Accounting Society. As a result, Kousha was more than ready for his first career role as an associate with Sax LLP, a Top 100 accounting, tax and advisory firm.
Although he quickly rose to the role of senior accountant at the firm, Kousha had other ideas about the future. “I found myself gravitating toward the nonprofit sector,” Kousha says. “I enjoyed learning about organizations’ missions and seeing the impact they have in their communities.”
Five years into his career as a professional accountant, Kousha joined the New Jersey Community Development Corporation as controller, later becoming the organization’s chief financial officer.
In 2018, he joined Liberty Science Center as chief financial officer. “I want to give and get value from my career,” he says. “Being an accounting professional at a place like Liberty Science Center gives my life a greater sense of purpose. I am helping to serve the greater community. Plus, Liberty Science Center is a really cool place to work.”
As chief financial officer, there is a lot riding on Kousha’s shoulders. “It is my responsibility to drive strategies that maximize the Center’s impact, while also ensuring compliance and ongoing fiscal soundness,” he says.
Montclair is responsible for more than the foundation of Kousha’s career, however. During his sophomore year he met the woman who would become his spouse, Gina Kousha ’05, when they both enrolled in the same journalism course. They have been married for 13 years.
Kousha looks forward to connecting with Montclair students, particularly those majoring in accounting. “I didn’t even know that the nonprofit sector existed, or that I could specialize in nonprofit accounting,” he says. “And yet it has become a very rewarding path for me.”
His advice for students: “Get comfortable with being uncomfortable. Continuing to learn and do new things will help you grow and progress in your career.”
–Michele Hickey