Kirsten Marie Ortez, CPA

“I am pleased to provide a very positive professional reference for Kirsten Marie Ortez. In short, Kirsten is an exceptional individual with many diverse talents, abilities, and skills. She is smart, dedicated, hard-working, creative, and very personable. Her passion for pursuing her education and professional career is continually evident. I worked with Kirsten as her mentor and professor in the McGuire Entrepreneurship Program in the Eller College of Management at the University of Arizona. This program was named the one of the leading entrepreneurship programs by Princeton Review, Entrepreneur magazine, and Financial Times. Over the course of 15 months, students in this program generate innovative ideas, concepts, and plans for new business ventures. Kirsten was the finance manager of a team that developed a detailed business plan for OneBlock Systems, a business venture focused on providing home security utilizing leading-edge technology developed at the UA College of Engineering. From her work in our program, it was very evident that Kirsten is very intelligent, well-educated, and has excellent critical thinking skills. Kirsten kept her team focused, productive, and innovative. Kirsten's knowledge of finance and accounting was invaluable to the development of this venture plan. However, she contributed much more in virtually every aspect of the business. Kirsten always actively participated in our classes and venture development activities, including weekly team meetings. I was very impressed by Kirsten’s understanding of the business venture development process, her work ethic, her integrity, and her ability to work in a cooperative team environment. She proved that she is an exceptional, well-balanced, mature, focused individual with excellent leadership qualities. The background Kirsten received in the McGuire Entrepreneurship Program has prepared her well for her professional career. It was truly a pleasure working with Kirsten. I am very confident she will continue to do exceptionally well with all her pursuits.”

“I had the pleasure of encountering this young woman when I coached the high school mock trial she was on. I would like to say the enthusiasm and unbelievable quick study Kirsten exhibited was exceeded the excellent level, and I've not encountered the skills she presents with any other young person yet. As a matter of fact she and her teammates were as good or better than some attorneys I've encountered, and I've been in the legal arena for almost 40 years as a litigator. God Speed Kirsten Cheers, George McNally Nevada Bar No. 926 Directing Attorney Senior Law Project Nevada Legal Services 1155 E. 9th Street, Ste 25 Reno, NV 89512 P# 775.334.3050 x 321 Fax # 775.334.3056 ”