Meet a Member: Karen Waga

JUST THE FACTS

• Name: Karen Waga
• Title: CMO
• Years of Experience: 16 years
• College Name & Degree(s): Susquehanna University – Major in Communications, emphasis in Public relations with a minor in Photography and Advertising
• Firm Name: WilkinGuttenplan
• Firm City & State: East Brunswick, NJ
• Firm Size: 150 employees
• Email Address: [email protected]
• Professional Memberships: AAM
• Community Involvement: I am currently in a busy season of life with a two-year-old and a second child on the way, so I have stepped back from formal board commitments for now. I still donate and give my time on weekends to causes I care deeply about, including Covenant House, local animal shelters, and organizations that support our veterans.
• Twitter Handle: N/A
• LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karencoviellowaga/

 

GETTING TO KNOW YOU

What does it mean to you to be named AAM’s 2026 Marketer of the Year? Being recognized by such a prestigious group in our industry means so much to me. AAM represents the best of accounting marketing, so to be acknowledged by this community for the work I am doing is truly special.

What is the structure of your marketing department? At a very high level, our team is made up of four people with a fifth on the way, and this is just scratching the surface of what everyone owns and contributes on a daily basis. I lead the group and work closely with our Managing Shareholder on overall firm strategy, as well as partner with our practice leaders to develop and drive the marketing strategies across our different industry and service lines. I have a Marketing Manager on the team who owns several practice groups, our content strategy and proposal content, SEO and the development of our manager-level professionals. Our Marketing Specialist covers her own set of practice groups, owns our social media and vendor management and supports our early career professionals. Our Graphic Designer works across the entire team and owns all things design. We are also currently hiring a Marketing Administrative Assistant who will own our pipeline, CRM, and proposal software, and take on a variety of other projects. In addition to our internal team, we work with a digital design firm that supports certain design needs, our website and backend development to continue evolving our online presence, which has become one of our biggest drivers of new business. It is a lean team but mighty, and I am really proud of what we accomplish together.

What have you learned the hard way? That your voice matters early on. It took time to feel confident speaking up in rooms where I was the newest or youngest person, but learning to own my perspective and trust it was one of the most important things I did for my career.

What is a “must know” for new accounting marketers? You are going to have a lot of different marketing strategies running at the same time, and that is just the nature of the industry. The way you market to a life sciences company looks completely different than how you go after a real estate company. On top of that, you are also marketing across a wide range of services, whether that is tax, audit, advisory or specialty practice areas, each with its own audience and message. You will also need strategies in place for external recruiting to attract top talent, as well as internal marketing efforts to keep culture alive and employees engaged. The marketing department in an accounting firm is not a support function; it is an essential core component of the business, and owning that seat at the table is important from day one.

What are your special skills, or what is something people may not know about you? Most people would not guess this about me, but I helped start the fencing team at my high school. It all started when I watched The Parent Trap with my dad as a kid, and I was curious about the sport in the fencing scene, as I had never seen it before. Next thing I knew, he surprised me with equipment and lessons, and I did not have the heart to tell him I was just asking. It turned out I actually loved it, did it for years, and still have all my equipment. Outside of work, I also love to host, and for me, it is really about making people feel special when they walk in the door through the food and all the little details.

What is the biggest benefit you receive from your AAM membership, or what effect has AAM had on your career? What I love most about AAM is how tailored everything is to our specific world as accounting marketers. The sessions and Summits I have attended over the years have content that just hits differently because they are built for us. It has either given me the validation that I am moving in the right direction or introduced me to something new that I could bring back and apply directly to our firm. That kind of relevance is hard to find. And on top of that, the people you meet are invaluable.

Share one marketing tip. Always start with the why before starting a project. Why are we doing this project? Who are we trying to reach, and what value are we delivering to them? When you lead with value, everything else falls into place a lot more naturally.

What do you feel is the biggest issue facing accounting marketers today? Maintaining authenticity in the age of AI. It is so easy for marketing to lose its voice when AI is doing the heavy lifting, and I think that is one of the biggest risks we face right now as accounting marketers. Using AI as a tool to support our work is important and valuable, but it cannot replace the human behind the marketing. Authenticity is what builds trust with your audience, and that cannot be automated. There must always be validation, collaboration and good judgment behind everything we put out. There is a time and a place for AI, and knowing the difference is what separates good marketing from generic marketing that does not land. That is why education around this is so important, and we need to get ahead of it now.

What would you be doing if you had not become a marketer? Being a lawyer or an artist would be fun.

What is the biggest project you are working on right now? Continuing to elevate our marketing department as a true growth driver for the firm. Right now, a big focus is on finding new ways to help each of our practice groups prospect more effectively, whether that means giving them better data and stats on projected growth, helping them hit their targets or ensuring they have the strongest possible information and tools for their pitches. We are also focused on ensuring each group shows up in exactly the right places in the marketplace. We are already doing a lot of this, but I am always looking for ways to take it further and make the impact even more measurable.

If you had an unlimited budget, what is one thing you would implement immediately? An out-of-the-box, big-brand advertising campaign. I would love to do something unexpected and bold that really puts WilkinGuttenplan on the map, stopping people in their tracks. I would have to brainstorm with my team, but that is the fun part. The ideas would flow much more easily with an unlimited budget behind them.

What books have you read recently that you feel would be beneficial to other AAM members? It is not a new one, but a book I come back to every so often, Leadership Excellence by Pat Williams. It was required reading for a leadership retreat early in my career and was introduced to me by one of my early mentors, Andy Vitale, someone whom I have a lot of admiration for. I have been lucky to have had incredible mentors throughout my career who have shaped who I am as a leader, and this book has always been a part of that journey. I also regularly read Harvard Business Review and Entrepreneur Magazine. They cover broad business topics across industries, but that is exactly why I love them. They spark new ideas and give me good insight into the overall business landscape, which I think is just as important for us as accounting marketers.

What blogs/social feeds do you subscribe to that are helpful? AAM is an obvious one and a must for any accounting marketer. Since we are based in New Jersey, I also stay tuned into NJCPA, and for broader industry news, I follow Accounting Today and CPA Practice Advisor to stay current on what is happening in the profession. I also keep up with the American Marketing Association for general marketing insights and best practices. On the leadership and business side, I follow people like Gary Vaynerchuk and Simon Sinek, who always get me thinking differently. I will be honest, I do not have a lot of time to consume blogs and feeds regularly, but when I do, I try to make sure what I am reading is actually moving the needle for me in some way.