St. Joseph’s Ingrained in the Sheehan Accountants Family

Thirty-four years. Thirty-four percent. One tight-knit community of dedicated accountants.

Since 1990, troves of St. Joseph’s University, New York alumni have come through the doors of Sheehan Accountants and Advisors and found a home. Now, Sheehan is proud to say that more than one-third of their workforce consists of SJNY alumni.

“At Sheehan, we’ve been able to help shape and mold the training of St. Joseph’s alumni to what is necessary for our clients, as most of them come in as interns,” explained Cynthia Finn Barry ’90, who was among the first St. Joseph’s alumni to find her place at Sheehan as a staff accountant.

“Others that come in from different firms, they need to learn a new way of approaching their work,” explained Ms. Barry, who is now a partner at Sheehan, which has offices in Brightwaters and Port Washington. “But we find that the St. Joe’s students are amazing, which is why we continue to hire them year after year.”

And with nearly half of Sheehan’s 10-person leadership team consisting of St. Joseph’s alumni, it’s clear that the skills and knowledge gained in the University’s accounting department continue to have a lasting impression on the professionals SJNY produces.

“Thinking back to when I was still at St. Joe’s, I remember the help and the huge support that the accounting department gave to me,” said John Hermus ’08, MBA ’09, a partner at Sheehan who got his start there as an intern. “It made me feel like they really cared and they were in my corner, and they helped me start my career.”

The generational mentorship between Ms. Barry and Mr. Hermus is seen all throughout Sheehan amongst the SJNY students
and alumni.

Vincent Viani ’24, an intern at the office this past spring, has been mentored by Mr. Hermus, continuing the trend.

“He’s fantastic at being a mentor and answering questions,” Mr. Viani said of Mr. Hermus. “He always makes himself available. He’s very helpful at explaining ideas in terms of the bigger picture, not just specifically what you’re asking.”

It’s that mentorship aspect that helps so many St. Joseph’s students feel welcomed and instantly like they are part of the family at Sheehan.

“The comfortability of knowing there are people here that went through the same experience as you did through college, and you kind of already have that bond, is helpful when trying to make that natural transition into the workplace,” Sean Balsam ’17, a supervisor at Sheehan, said. “It’s always nice to have someone saying they had a good experience when you’re following in their footsteps.”

Rebecca Demonaco, a staff accountant at Sheehan, explained that it was a similar type of familial atmosphere that drew her to St. Joseph’s in the first place.

“I liked that it was more personal and had a smaller student-to-teacher ratio,” said Ms. Demonaco, who earned a B.S. in Accounting in 2023 and an MBA in Accounting in 2024. “I wanted the teacher to know me, and I wanted to make connections, so I felt like St. Joseph’s was the best place for me.”

Now, she’s sure it was.

“My time at St. Joseph’s definitely gave me the knowledge and basis of what I needed to be an accountant, and I love that I’ve been able to use everything that I’ve learned in the actual field out here at Sheehan,” she said. “It’s a really good basis to have under your belt when you’re getting into the real world.”