There are lots of reasons why a person may choose to become an accountant. For Collene Torres, the realization came through in the arts! After earning her Bachelor of Arts from Wellesley College, and while producing theater for a non-profit in Bangor, Maine, Collene became increasingly more involved in the theater’s financial statements. From there her interest was piqued, a renewed passion for numbers was discovered, and an acceptance to Husson University Master of Business Administration program quickly followed.
Collene, a certified public accountant and certified valuation analyst, continued her accounting career in healthcare before moving into public accounting. Shortly after relocating to Connecticut, Collene joined the tax consulting team at Reynolds + Rowella, a regional accounting and consulting firm based in New Canaan and Ridgefield. Today, she serves businesses and their owners in tax planning and compliance and business valuation needs. She also works with high net worth individuals and their families with complex tax issues, estates/trusts, multi-state, and foreign tax concerns. As a manager at Reynolds + Rowella, Collene works with diverse businesses such as hedge funds and private equity, retail and wholesale manufacturing and distribution, professional service firms, restaurants, contractors, and real estate.
Collene holds the belief that everyone has a unique circle of friends and center of influence, and that being part of a non-profit board gives you the opportunity to use your personal connections to help bring your community together and enables you to become an integral part of solving problems in your community. She has served in leadership positions on several professional and non-profit boards and currently serves as treasurer for New Canaan Chamber of Commerce, New Canaan Society for the Arts, and Southern Connecticut Wellesley Club. Her love for the performing arts has not wavered, as she also performs occasionally with the Town Players of New Canaan.
In her spare time, Collene enjoys going to the theater with her husband Mark, a professional actor and director, taking the couple’s beloved Jack Russell terrier Miss Dashwood out hiking, or practicing Kundalini Yoga.
Fun Fact: To celebration their milestone birthdays, Collene and a group of friends set out on an adventure of a lifetime to summit Mount Kilimanjaro. When you see her be sure to ask about the seven-day hike and to see pictures.
