Nayo Carter-Gray, EA

Where do you reside?
Baltimore, Maryland

What got you involved in the tax profession?
I started in high school when I had my first summer job and discovered I could get a tax refund. I charged all my friends with jobs $25 to do their taxes. And then I got placed in an accounting class a few months later by accident and fell in love. So, I had two years of accounting in high school and then majored in it in college.

What is your day job?
CEO and founder. I run my fulltime accounting practice, 1st Step Accounting.

Where do you see the tax profession going in the future?
This is a hard question because tax laws constantly change. I know at some point in the future the technology infrastructure will finally be on par with the technology focus of today’s society. There will continue to be a constant focus on keeping data secure. And at some point, we will embrace artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning in order to give us time back in our day to talk to clients and provide more personalized services.

What inspires you?
I’m inspired by technology. I love seeing how fast innovation grows through technology not only in the accounting and tax profession but in everyday life. I went to the doctor the other day and sat on the table. With a few clicks of a button the table rose and weighed me. Things like this constantly amaze me.

What are you most proud of personally or professionally?
Setting up the 1st Step Accounting Endowment Scholarship at Coppin State University.

What is your favorite quote or motto?
“Do or do not. There is no try.”– Yoda

What do you do for fun?
Read books (mostly self-help), play my Nintendo Switch, and roller skate.

Superpower you wish you had and why?
Invisibility. I would love to be the fly on the wall to hear what people talk about when they don’t know I’m in the room.

What is one goal you hope to accomplish in your lifetime?
To hire a chauffeur. I hate driving and it’s because my vision isn’t 100 percent. So, one of my ultimate goals is to have a fulltime driver on staff available to take me any and everywhere I need to go.

Advice to your 20-year-old self?
My 20-year-old self was pretty smart by listening to other people who were wiser than her. I think the only thing I would tell her is to ask for a raise. I knew my worth but didn’t know back then the words to formalize that worth. Also, I think back then I thought I had to accept what was offered to me but now that I’m older and wiser I know that there is always some wiggle room so don’t be afraid to ask for it.

Favorite travel destination?
New Orleans, Louisiana, is one of my favorite places to visit. The food and the people are amazing. Oh, and so is the music. I have traveled to this city 11 times, and I don’t think I will ever grow tired of visiting.

If you could have dinner with one historical figure, who would it be and why?
Oprah. In my eyes she is a hero. She represents everything I am and more. I would just want to soak in her wisdom of how to fight bigotry and hatred in an industry that wasn’t made up of black women.

What’s a skill you’d like to learn?
My stretch goal is to learn how to fly a plane. I’m actively seeking information to take classes and get started on that. But I’ve always wanted to learn how to slam dunk a basketball. I’m vertically challenged but I’ve always imagined I could run up and down the court like I could compete with Michael Jordan. Lol.

Favorite thing about your job?
I get to travel and attend accounting conferences across the USA. I love meeting and interacting with people. You can just call me the extroverted extrovert.

If you could be any character in fiction, who would you be?
Not quite sure about this one. Maybe Olivia Pope from “Scandal” because her outfits were always fierce!