Source: Richard Ott, 785-532-5639, rlo@k-state.edu
Photo available. Contact media@k-state.edu or 785-532-6415.

Friday, Sept. 18, 2009

JULIE BRYANT TO BE NEWEST MEMBER OF K-STATE'S ACCOUNTING HALL OF FAME

MANHATTAN -- A Seneca native will be the newest member of the Accounting Hall of Fame at Kansas State University.

Julie Bryant, who earned bachelor's degrees in accounting and finance from K-State in 1988, will be inducted Friday, Sept. 25, at the K-State department of accounting's annual scholarship banquet.

The department launched the K-State Accounting Hall of Fame 10 years ago as a way of recognizing alumni of the program who have achieved positions of leadership both in the business world and in their communities, and whose accomplishments and character reflect well on K-State, the College of Business Administration and the department of accounting, said Richard Ott, the Grant Thornton Faculty Fellow in Accounting and head of the department of accounting.

"In honoring individuals selected for the K-State Hall of Fame, we also seek to hold out role models for students currently in the program and for young alumni just starting their careers," Ott said.

Bryant, the former Julie Holsapple, currently holds the position of controller, ConocoPhillips Canada, and is based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. She began her career with Phillips Petroleum in Bartlesville, Okla., in 1989. She participated in the company's finance new hire program in 1989 then transferred to Odessa, Texas, in 1990 as a production accountant. In 1991 she transferred to Houston to work in the Upstream Americas Finance Division, focusing on general accounting, planning and budgeting functions. Bryant transferred back to Bartlesville in 1996, initially in the controllers executive reporting organization. She then advanced to supervisory roles in downstream retail accounting, and later in upstream accounting. Bryant was promoted in 2005 to manager of general accounting, which she held until April 2008 when she transferred to Calgary for her current position.

Bryant has been active with finance recruiting efforts for ConocoPhillips since 1996. She is a member of the K-State Accounting Advisory Board, and served as a member of the Supervisory Audit Committee of the 66 Federal Credit Union from 2004-2008.