Seneca College RED 2020 - 25

Accounting for success

PHOTO: IAN PATTERSON

Laura Mirabella sends thanks to professors

THROUGHOUT HER CAREER, Laura Mirabella has sent thankyou notes to faculty members at Seneca.
It's been more than 25 years since she graduated
from Seneca's Accounting & Finance diploma program
in 1994. Since then, she has held senior financial roles
with Deloitte, the provincial government, the City of
Vaughan and now York Region where she is the
Commissioner of Finance and Regional Treasurer. At
turning points in her career, she has reached out to
Seneca faculty and thanked them for their influence.
" I received amazing instruction from professors who
had real-world experience, " she says. " The professors
had a real heart for teaching the next generation of
professionals. "
But Ms. Mirabella didn't start studying at Seneca
right away. With aspirations for a finance career after
high school, she tried to pursue a university degree but
couldn't afford tuition plus living costs. That's when
she shifted gears to Seneca's diploma program.
" What I learned from Seneca's accounting professors
is what allowed me to walk into any organization,
particularly government, and understand how decisions
are made and resources are allocated...and provide

practical, real-world advice. "
Ms. Mirabella says holding top-tier financial roles
without a degree is rare but it hasn't held her back.
" My Seneca advantage is what I've brought to the
table and it's what's helped me become successful. "
This success in public sector roles has been about
making contributions, she says. Some of her achievements
include direct involvement in the setup of Infrastructure
Ontario and seeing the Toronto-York Spadina subway
extension come to life in Vaughan after being involved
in the project at the provincial level. She also developed
strategic objectives, performance measures and a risk
management framework in support of planning for
the 2015 Pan American and Parapan American Games
in Toronto.
Her contributions extend to her community where
she volunteers as a board member for community
causes that are important to her such as family services
and arts and culture. She also participated in a women's
executive network known as WXN where she was
inspired by women and fellow mothers who were
managing their careers and families.
Now, Ms. Mirabella says she's mentoring the next
generation of women so that they too can pursue
demanding careers and balance families.
" As a leader, that's what you're doing all the time:
mentoring the next generation, " she says.
This leadership ties back to the guidance she received
at Seneca. While Ms. Mirabella admits she lost touch
with some professors, she says she will never lose sight
of how they influenced her career.
" A lot of leadership is teaching, and I hope that
when I'm mentoring my staff, I'm applying some of the
lessons I learned from my professors. "

The professors
had a real heart
for teaching
the next
generation of
professionals.

RED

2020

Seneca College RED 2020

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