The 200+ clients of West Orange, New Jersey\u2019s ASE Group receive much more than
\nyear-end tax preparation. Al-Nesha Jones, CPA \u201907 \u201913 MBA, and her all-female team of
\nfinancial professionals educate and provide year-round expertise to help business
\nowners build their enterprises, and their community.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy firm\u2019s clients work hard and have great ideas,\u201d Jones explains. \u201cWhat they often
\ndon\u2019t have is good financial know-how. By educating and guiding our clients throughout
\nthe year, we empower them to grow their businesses.\u201d<\/p>\n
When Jones formed ASE Group in 2016, she brought considerable corporate
\nexperience as an Associate Manager of Financial Reporting at Prudential Financial and as
\nan Assurance Senior at EY, where she began her career as an intern from Montclair. The
\npivot might have been prompted by the need for flexibility to raise her family, but it also
\nreflected a personal sense of mission as well as what she observed as a real need in
\nher community.<\/p>\n
\u201cI had a successful career working for very large companies, but I didn\u2019t feel like I was
\nhaving an impact,\u201d she explains. \u201cAt the same time, I had friends and neighbors who
\nwere struggling to make their small businesses thrive. They knew they had to pay taxes
\nbut didn\u2019t know how to plan for them. They needed more comprehensive guidance. I
\nsaw an opportunity to make a real contribution. I wanted to see them win.\u201d
\nIn addition to tax, accounting, and financial counseling services, Jones educates the
\ncommunity through free bookkeeping and tax classes and her Tea & Amp; Tax Talk Blog. She also teaches a Quickbooks Online Certification course at Essex County College.<\/p>\n
When Jones jumped off the corporate ladder to start her own community-minded
\ncompany, it was not the first time she looked at her options and decided to pivot. \u201cFirst
\nof all, I was planning to attend college out of state, but when I was offered the Edward J.
\nBloustein Scholarship to attend a New Jersey state college, I began touring campuses. I
\nloved Montclair and liked the idea of staying close to home.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMy dad worked in programming, so I initially enrolled at Montclair as a computer
\nscience major,\u201d Jones continues. \u201cI knew very quickly that it wasn\u2019t for me, however, so
\nI switched to business and accounting classes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Working full-time in retail and customer service meant taking classes early in the
\nmorning, in the evening, and on weekends. The demanding schedule did not keep
\nJones from immersing herself in campus life, however. \u201cI served as a peer leader and
\nhelped with new student orientation,\u201d she says. \u201cI loved meeting the new students and
\nmade a lot of friends.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jones\u2019 involvement in Montclair has continued \u2013 and grown \u2013 since graduation. She
\nunderstands the power of mentorship and regularly volunteers her time mentoring
\nstudents. \u201cI received such wonderful mentorship from my professors and counselors,
\nbefore I even knew it was mentorship,\u201d she says with a laugh. \u201cThey were always there
\nto give advice and answer questions. Recruiting events on campus introduced me to
\npeople I would not have met otherwise, and ultimately led to my first professional role. I
\nkept in touch with some of my professors over the years and later, when I was starting
\nmy own firm, they continued to inspire and support me.\u201d<\/p>\n
When Jones was introduced to the Black Alumni Advisory Council at last year\u2019s
\nhomecoming, she saw another opportunity to give back to her alma mater. \u201cI remember
\nwhat it was like, coming to Montclair as a first-generation college student,\u201d she says.
\n\u201cMontclair is very diverse, but it is also big! It can be a challenge for a new student to
\nfigure out where they fit in.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThere were so many people at Montclair who helped me create a path to success,\u201d she
\nadds. \u201cThey taught me how to pursue my own definition of success. I want to do the
\nsame for others.\u201d<\/p>\n
For Jones, this now includes looking to the Montclair campus when recruiting new team
\nmembers for the ASE Group. \u201cI hired a paid intern from the University, who is now an
\nemployee,\u201d she says. \u201cSo much good has come out of my involvement with Montclair. It
\nenergizes me.\u201d<\/p>\n
The 2022 recipient of the NJCPA Ovation Award \u2013 DEI, Jones also participates in the
\nProConnect Customer Council for Intuit Inc. and is a member of the Intuit Trainer\/Writer
\nNetwork, an elite, worldwide group of professionals who teach other accountants how to use Intuit tools. She is an inaugural member of the CHIP Professionals Council, an organization that bridges the gap between consumers of financial products and financial
\nprofessionals of color, a member of the National Black Society of CPAs and the
\nNational Association of Black Accountants, and President of the nonprofit organization
\nBlack-Owned Everything. In 2021, Jones was a CPA Practice Advisor 40 under 40
\nhonoree.<\/p>\n
Although her three children are more than a few years away from college, Jones is
\nhoping they will consider following her footsteps to Montclair. \u201cMontclair put me in such
\na good position professionally,\u201d she says. \u201cI met President Koppell recently and learned
\nabout the new programs and majors being added. But as much as the University grows,
\nyou can still feel the strong sense of community here.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Al-Nesha Jones, CPA \u201907 \u201913 MBA is using her expertise to build up the community, one small business at a time. She is also bringing her positive energy to Montclair as a mentor and a new member of the Montclair State University Black Alumni Advisory Council.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":326,"featured_media":211249,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-211248","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-76_alumni-news-and-events","category-77_alumni-spotlight"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/211248","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/326"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=211248"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/211248\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":211261,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/211248\/revisions\/211261"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/211249"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=211248"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=211248"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=211248"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}