Brooke VanRosendael

Brooke VanRosendael

PwC's, Banking Transformation Senior Associate

Brooke joined the Army Reserves in January 2017 and went to Basic Combat Training (BCT) and Officer Candidate School (OCS) that fall. She was a Logistics Officer for four years, serving as a Platoon Leader and Executive Officer with the 304th Transportation Company in Westover, MA. While she was a part of the 304th Transportation Company, she deployed to Jordan for nine months where she worked as a Contracting Officer Representative (COR).

After four years in the logistics world, Brooke transitioned to the 404th Civil Affairs Battalion (Airborne) at Fort Dix, NJ where she completed Captains Career Course (CCC) and Basic Airborne Course (BAC), becoming a Civil Affairs Officer and Paratrooper. During her time at the 404th Civil Affairs Battalion (Airborne), Brooke spent a month in Morocco, working closely with the Royal Moroccan Army to train their Soldiers on Civil Engagement and Reconnaissance in the operational environment. Brooke was recently promoted from Lieutenant to Captain after five years.

In addition to Brooke's military career, she has a BSBA in Finance and M.S. in Accounting. She spent five years working in the audit world, gaining experience in governmental audit at RHR Smith and Company, CPAs, and trade audit at the Bank of New York Mellon. Brooke now works for PwC as a Senior Management Consultant in their Banking Transformation practice.

We asked Brooke how her military service impacted or benefited her civilian career, and she shared the following “My military service has given me the opportunity to work with people from across the world, which has really helped in how I communicate with co-workers and clients. I feel like it has allowed me to have more empathy and understanding in all situations. "Embrace the suck” is a famous saying in the military. It means that while the current situation sucks, you just need to accept it and work toward changing it. This helps me in times when I’m finding work difficult. Whether it's busy hours or a tough project, I know that it will eventually be resolved or come to an end."

Lastly, we asked what advice Brooke has for service members and veterans considering a career in financial services and she stated "I think it’s so important to be yourself. When interviewing, it’s easy to follow a script and be someone you think the company you’re interviewing for wants. As a service member, you have so much to offer – organizational skills, time management, the ability to communicate and work with others."