Valerie Thorpe
CPA, Principal
“You dream. You plan. You reach. There will be obstacles. There will be doubters. There will be mistakes. But with hard work, with belief, with confidence and trust in yourself and those around you, there are no limits.” - Michael Phelps
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Valerie Thorpe, a Principal at WilkinGuttenplan, has been with the firm since 2012. She focuses on audit, review, governmental compliance, and consulting services for closely held and family-owned businesses across New Jersey, as well as professional and medical practices throughout the tri-state area.
Valerie also leads the firm’s Employee Benefit Plan Services Group, where she provides audit services for companies across a range of industries, with a specialty in 401(k) and profit-sharing plans.
Valerie has experience providing audit and review services to manufacturing, medical, professional services, private equity companies, and business combinations and has worked extensively with consolidations. As part of her work with medical practices, she assisted clients who received HHS funding under the CARES Act with related reporting and compliance requirements.
She is also deeply involved in staff development, contributing to firmwide training initiatives, collaborating with the Learning and Development team, and serving as a coach to several team members. Valerie works closely with the A&A partners to support overall departmental operations and also founded the firm’s Working Parent Committee.
Prior to joining WilkinGuttenplan, Valerie worked at a Big Four accounting firm, where she provided audit, review, and agreed-upon procedure services to private-company manufacturing, travel, retail, and closely held businesses, and employee benefit plan clients.
Licenses & Certifications:
CPA License: New Jersey
Professional & Civic Achievements:
- Member of the New Jersey Society of Certified Public Accountants (NJCPA)
- Member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA)
- Recipient of NJCPA 2022 Ovation Award for “Women to Watch”
- Featured on the 2015 NJCPA “30 Under 30” list
- Mentor to a 2014 NJCPA High School Scholarship Recipient
Education:
Valerie graduated from The College of New Jersey with a Bachelor of Science in Accountancy and a minor in Management. She continues her professional development through ongoing continuing professional education (CPE) and specialized tax training.
Q&A
What motivates you?
Seeing or experiencing achievement—whether for myself or others—motivates me. Watching someone have a light bulb moment, helping a client reach their goals, or even crossing a task off my to-do list all serve as reminders of the effort, focus, and growth that led to that accomplishment. Each one reinforces the value of the journey as much as the result.
If you weren’t an accountant/consultant, what would you be?
A baker. I love experimenting with new recipes and creating themed desserts for my children’s events, and nothing makes me happier than seeing someone smile when they see (and taste!) an idea come to life on a plate. I’ll admit, though, I’m not a morning person, so the early bakery hours would definitely be a challenge.
What’s your proudest professional achievement?
Passing the CPA exam within one year of graduating college. I graduated in May, immediately got my study materials, and then took a bucket-list trip—visiting four West Coast baseball stadiums, hiking the Grand Canyon, stepping into the Pacific Ocean, and stopping in Las Vegas while studying between destinations. When the trip ended, I buckled down for the rest of the summer, studying and sitting for each section before starting full-time. Getting the results of my final exam and seeing that I passed was incredibly emotional.
That experience taught me early in my career that you can do both: achieve meaningful professional milestones while living a full, wonderful life with the people you love. “Work hard, play hard” may sound cliché, but looking back, it absolutely captures my journey.
If you had a theme song, what would it be?
Although there is a song called “Valerie,” my theme song would be “Awakening” by Yellowcard. Every time I listen to it, I’m inspired to reflect on what I’ve experienced and learned, then step forward, refreshed and ready for whatever tomorrow brings.
