From Small-Town Beginnings to Big-Time Success: How OU’s Online Master’s Program Lifted the Career of Rayna Kordonowy

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NORMAN, OKLA. – Rayna Kordonowy is not your typical Price College of Business student. Raised in a small town in eastern Montana town with fewer than 10,000 residents, she went on to attend the University of Mary, a small, private Catholic university in Bismarck, ND. In 2012, she earned dual bachelor’s degrees in finance and accounting along with a minor in business administration. For several years following graduation, she worked in public and corporate accounting but never sat for the CPA exam.

“I grew up in an area that is very prevalent in the oil industry – much like Oklahoma. After graduating from UMary, I knew I wanted to continue my education and take the CPA exam, but I got busy with life and my career in the energy industry,” she said. “Wanting to eventually get my master’s degree so that I could potentially teach collegiately one day, I started researching graduate schools and found the online master’s program at OU.”

In fall 2018, she enrolled in the online Price College of Business Master of Accountancy program. Her classes began that January.

“I was looking for a program that offered real human connections, where I could actually have Zoom classes and interact with cohorts of students and professors,” she said. “Because I went to such a small college for undergrad, I was also looking for that feeling in a business school – and I found that at OU. I always knew that I was part of a big school, but never felt like I was just a number. The Price College of Business felt like family.”

Kordonowy completed the program in December 2020 and traveled to Norman that May for graduation.

“I actually took my first CPA exam in March, even before I walked at commencement,” she said. “I was already working full time prior to entering grad school, and didn’t decrease my workload throughout the program, so I was very thankful for how well the program prepared me for the CPA exam. In November, I passed my final CPA exam, completing all four parts in a very short period. After a fantastic first experience at OU, I’m now considering coming back for my Executive MBA in Energy because I loved OU and the quality of education so much.”

Attending OU and graduating with her Master of Accountancy has transformed Kordonowy’s career and enhanced her professional trajectory at United Energy Corporation and its multiple subsidiaries.

“The network that I built at OU was absolutely phenomenal. It’s truly something money can’t buy,” she said. “Even though I work for a small, privately held company, I know I have a network of like-minded individuals that I can lean on and bounce ideas off of, even if they work for really large corporations like ExxonMobil.”

Kordonowy has recently been recognized nationally for her industry excellence by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and will soon join their Leadership Academy. She is one of only 30 selected nationwide based on their professional experience, academics, letters of recommendation and volunteer activities.

Those volunteer activities reflect both her commitment to the profession and to her community at large, frequently taking time to travel to small, rural towns to mentor students.

“I’m a member of the North Dakota CPA Society and am active in their Business and Industry Committee, NexGen committee and their accounting influencer program. I also sit on the board of the Dakota Stage, a community theatre here in Bismarck,” she said. “I also do a lot of talks on college campuses, promoting the CPA profession and encouraging students to consider pursuing a CPA certification.”

When looking back on her experience at OU, Kordonowy acknowledges how impactful the faculty at the Price College of Business and her fellow classmates have been on the woman she is today.

“I’ve always appreciated that my professors offered such strong mentorship, and that’s something I’ve tried to bring back to North Dakota. The experiences and people that I encountered at OU truly had a remarkable impact on my life and career,” she said. “I’ll forever be thankful that I chose Oklahoma for my master’s degree.”