SUU to Manager at Utah Office of the State Auditor

Upon taking his first accounting class in high school, Jeremy Walker knew he was hooked. So following graduation from Utah’s Tooele High School, he brought that love of numbers to SUU and became an accountant. Today, he is the manager of his native local government division of the Utah Office of the State Auditor.

“I have always been good with numbers. I just knew this was my thing,” he explains of becoming an accountant. “There are many jobs I am glad I don’t have to do, and I know many feel that way about accounting, so I do this and thank them for doing what they’re good at.”

Jeremy’s team at the Utah Office of the State Auditor provides training and guidance, and monitors financial reporting for more than 1,000 local government entities including cities, towns, and counties, as well as local and special service districts. He has established himself as an expert in the field, and he enjoys helping other government accountants, auditors, and elected officials understand the laws concerning government spending and to navigate difficult situations.

“I feel like I can make a difference every day when I go to work,” he says.

Jeremy graduated from SUU in 2000 with a bachelor of arts degree in accountancy, and earned a master’s degree in accountancy the following year. He loved his experience at SUU and says his memories revolve around three things: The beautiful campus and surrounding public lands; the strong friendships he made that continue to this day; and the professors and staff that truly made the student experience their top priority.

He credits SUU for giving him the technical knowledge he needed to succeed in his field, opportunities to develop leadership skills that have benefited his employers and community ever since, and an understanding that what he had to offer had a place in any organization.

“Accountants are nerds,” he says. “But the world needs a good nerd to keep track of its money.”

Jeremy and his wife Melissa, along with their four children, live in Stansbury Park in Tooele County, where he enjoys hiking the scenic Oquirrh Mountains, beautifying his yard, and squeezing in a round of golf now and then.