BUILDING A FOUNDATION FOR SUCCESS

experience at the Post campus was that our professors gave you a scholarly look and a practical approach,” said Jasen. “In terms of day-to-day applications, it is important to solve real problems for real people.”

Jasen, who took a special interest in law and international politics, indicated that his experience at LIU helped him accelerate as J.D. at Harvard Law School, graduating in the same class at President Barack Obama and Supreme Court Justice Gorsuch. In addition to pursing his law degree, Jasen credits his connections and established network at LIU to the beginning of his professional development, gaining employment at two Japanese companies: advertising giant Dentsu and international law firm Mori Hamada & Matsumoto.

Jasen is appreciative of his path and realizes his life would have been drastically different if it weren’t for his experiences at LIU.

“No matter how much you achieve on your own, it really is the opportunities that you have that can define you and what you are capable of ultimately achieving,” he said. “At the Post campus, there were specific people that were willing to take the time to work closely with me to give me honest and constructive feedback. That tremendous support was key.” aymond Jasen ’88 has climbed the corporate ladder and ascended to the top of the financial services industry as the Partnerin-Charge of KPMG’s New York business unit. But with more than 30 years’ experience in the industry and playing an integral role of the daily operations of a “Big Four” accounting firm, Jasen does not take his success for granted and does not forget the origins that lead him to his current path.

Jasen, whose current unit encompasses multiple offices and approximately 600 tax professionals, reflects fondly on his time at Long Island University and credits the educational foundation that his mentors provided him with.

“The teachers that I had at LIU were phenomenal. What I loved about my

Jasen’s career catapulted in various capacities within the financial services realm, serving as the Executive Director and Tax Counsel for Morgan Stanley where he provided tax advice to the firm’s Fixed Income Division, Managing Director, Head of Tax Reporting, Strategy and Risk Control at Citigroup managing more than 140 personnel, and Deputy Tax Director and Senior Managing Director at AIG where he was responsible for more than 200 tax attorneys, accountants and staff responsible for various operations.

Most recently at KPMG, his current employer since 2014, Jasen takes pride in fundamentally redesigning the operational processes and procedures of the unit that he oversees, significantly increasing the profitability of the business while able to achieve top-line growth through a focus on data and analytics and bottom-line growth due to operational efficiency.

In addition to reflection, Jasen is also pursuing a new passion that continues to drive him and gives him a greater sense of appreciation and accomplishment –his faith. Jasen, who says he spent most of his life determined to be secular, has reacquainted himself with the Old Testament and is in the process of becoming ordained as a rabbi with the anticipation of a new path as a spiritual leader once he reaches mandatory retirement in his current position.

Looking back, Jasen understands the importance of guidance and giving back to ensure that those who were once in his position to succeed.

As he puts it, “For people to succeed, all you need to do is care and take a little time out of your life to give them advice. By doing so, that could make all the same difference to them that it did to me, and that is very important.”