With recent changes occurring in obtaining a CPA requiring more dedicated hours to accounting education, a Master’s in Taxation (MTAX) degree is becoming increasingly common. Ask Flavio Garcia, a Knauss MTAX alumnus, who graduated in 2023 to later serve as a finance manager as well as principle at a finance consulting firm.
Born and raised in National City, San Diego, Flavio is a first generation Mexican-American and first generation college student who came to study at Knauss School of Business to obtain his higher education. He is now applying his degrees to oversee upwards of $20 million dedicated to helping thousands through hurricane relief as a Finance Manager in the Coast Guard Reserve.
Q: Please share a brief introduction about yourself, including your current position and your year of graduation from USD Knauss School of Business's Taxation program.
Flavio: Before coming to the University of San Diego I served in the Marine Corps from 2013 to 2018, where I provided security for presidential assets both domestically and abroad. I was assigned to the Marine One Helicopter Squadron, part of the White House Military Office during the Obama and Trump Administrations, which is also where I met my lovely wife who is similarly a Marine Corps veteran. I graduated from the University of San Diego in 2023 having earned a dual degree bachelor’s in accounting (BACC) and bachelor’s in business analytics (BBA), at the same time as my master’s in taxation (MTAX).
I am currently a Coast Guard Reserve Officer, serving as the Assistant Reserve Division Officer for the Incident Management Division at Sector Maryland-National Capital Region. Which is charged with responding and investigating discharges of oil and other hazardous materials in the National Capital Area of Operations. I am currently on orders assigned to Logistics Command where I serve as the Finance Manager for the FEMA Funds Accountability Team overseeing upwards of 20 million dollars dedicated to Hurricane Milton and Hurricane Helene response efforts across the southeast United States.
I am also the Principal at Wellth Financial Services, a forward-thinking financial advisory and consulting firm dedicated to guiding entrepreneurs through the complexities of business formation and early-stage growth. Our business focuses on servicing a few select clients with our full attention and best talent rather than overloading high-performing staff at the expense of quality.
Q: What was your background before joining the program, and why did you decide to continue at USD to do the MTAX program?
Flavio: I had initially started my undergraduate studies as a business economics major but, thanks to Dr. Durkin, I was encouraged to switch my major to accounting and later Dr. Krieg inspired me to pursue tax.
Until recently, in most states a prospective CPA candidate was required to have attained 150 credits in order to sit for the exams. As well as needing to attain a certain amount of credits, USD’s graduate tax program naturally had a lot of synergies with the undergraduate accounting program. So, not only were there financial savings but also time savings as some courses were able to be double counted. The graduate courses were also conveniently scheduled so as not to interfere with the undergraduate classes. As my GI Bill benefits were defined on a time basis I was especially interested in the time savings, as this would translate to additional coursework for the same amount of benefit consumption. It was a win-win for me on multiple fronts.
While going through the program I thoroughly enjoyed the coursework and felt the faculty was going above and beyond to deliver higher level thinking coursework. Rather than simply applying rules we were asked to delve into the pronouncements and develop positions. We were given a set of facts and asked to provide an analysis and identify the tax implications in a given situation which helped apply it in real-life situations.
Q: What have been some of the biggest takeaways you learned from the MTAX program and how has the program set you up for success in your career?
Flavio: I can recall logging into a virtual interview for a corporate tax position at a Fortune 500 company and the interviewer asking me: “How’s Professor Dalton?”, later it became obvious that the interviewer had attended USD. They had specifically picked my resume out of the stack based on this. I eventually opted to go with a staff position at a boutique regional firm due to its competitive compensation and guaranteed partner track with financing. The Managing Partner (in true partner fashion) stated that USD had rejected him way back when, and if USD was selective enough to reject him, then surely I was of fine stock, in these cases there was no mistaking that the USD brand was solely responsible for generating opportunities.
On a more serious note, I truly believe that the biggest selling point when comparing the education at USD as opposed to other institutions in San Diego, is the scale at which the instruction is delivered. In my experience other schools cram one, two or even three hundred people in a lecture hall while a TA reads off slides. At USD you might have closer to 30 kids in your class and in the niche tax courses you might have five. What that translates to is discussion, debate, and inquiry. Your professor knows your name and your aspirations, they can connect you to the right people or introduce you to new opportunities.
Q: As someone with a military background, how has USD supported you in your career, if at all?
Flavio: USD is an incredibly military friendly school and it is one of a few schools that offer the unlimited Yellow Ribbon program. This means that they will likely cover a substantial portion of any tuition not covered by the Post 9/11 GI Bill or Yellow Ribbon Program. I found many fellow veterans in my classes which allowed me to build a small but mighty professional network. It dramatically changed my higher education experience to have people who looked like me, talked like me, and lived like me.
Q: Do you feel the Knauss School faculty and staff supported you beyond the classroom and how so? Were there specific organizations, clubs, professional development events, or spaces on campus that you took advantage of?
At a foundational level I can say I would not have graduated had it not been for the support of the Accounting Department or Financial Aid Office. A special thank you to Professor Perols for allowing my daughter to watch Netflix in the corner of our class when my childcare fell through at the last second, Professor Lyon for constantly connecting me to new and exciting opportunities like this blog series, Professor Durkin who although has since moved on to her next institution, allowed me to test with my daughter in the room when childcare facilities were closed due to COVID-19. To Professor Krieg for nurturing a bit of my curiosity and giving me the intellectual caffeine to pursue tax and to Professor Dalton for making me believe that one day I can be as smart as he is.
I suffered a pretty dramatic change of circumstance in my last semester at USD which would have caused me to withdraw from my classes mid-semester. USD gave me emergency housing with no questions asked and lots of health and wellness resources to help me through my situation. They even provided financial assistance over and above the typical amount when I was in need of it.
Along with financial support, events such as Meet the firms were great for networking. I would say it’s one of the single greatest ways to connect with top 10 national and regional firms where I got a number of internship opportunities and ultimately job offers as a result of the connections I made at Meet the Firms.
Q: What was one concept, course, or professor that stood out to you at USD, and why?
For me Professor Lyon is a huge asset to the program. Any prospective student should take the time to meet with her and have a conversation. Her ideas around what the outcomes for students in the MTAX and MACC are a departure from the expectations of yesteryear (for the better). Her course Accounting and Public Policy demonstrates this fact. I feel that her vision for the department is a breath of fresh air and will produce happier, more well rounded, and versatile accounts leading to a better profession overall. She aptly recognizes that the appeal for big 4 tracks is somewhat lessening in favor of alternative professional pathways. The department and programs will only continue to improve as her vision comes to fruition.
Q: What advice would you give to prospective students looking to get the most out of their graduate education at USD?
Irrespective of the change going on in the profession at the moment I think a masters in tax will only further set you apart. If you can be strategic about the execution it can also teach you invaluable lessons on prioritizing deliverables which will be helpful in your career. I would without a doubt recommend that undergraduate students at USD take the extra year or so to complete the MTAX or MACC, with the cost and time savings it’s simply a no brainer. Leverage your student status and study skills to test for your exams while completing your degree so you can focus on work when you graduate. If you are a professional considering coming back to school I would also offer that your cohort will be a great opportunity to build your network and learn about other industries and reporting or compliance issues.
Schedule a consultation with an MACC/MTAX admission advisor if you have questions about the program or want to learn more.
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