Kendra Lockwood

Congratulations to Kendra Lockwood on recently being recognized as CSI’s CTE Faculty of the Year after being nominated by students and colleagues for her impact both inside and outside the classroom.

Kendra has been teaching at CSI since 2014 and joined full-time faculty in 2022 as the Instructor and Program Manager for the Applied Bookkeeping program.

Before transitioning into teaching full-time, Kendra spent more than 10 years working in public accounting as a Certified Public Accountant. She says her favorite part of accounting was always working directly with clients and helping them better understand their financial processes, something that ultimately inspired her to move into education.

In her classes, Kendra focuses on helping students truly learn accounting concepts rather than simply completing assignments. Students quickly become familiar with two phrases they hear often in her classroom: “learn, don’t just do,” and “Just Keep Swimming!”Students in the program gain practical skills in accounting fundamentals, payroll recordkeeping, accounting software, spreadsheets, and maintaining accurate financial records. Kendra also helps students understand the “why” behind the numbers and how accounting plays an important role in business decision making.

One thing students are often surprised to learn is that you do not have to be great at math to succeed in bookkeeping and accounting.

Kendra says one of the most rewarding parts of teaching is seeing students grow in both confidence and ability as they realize they can succeed in the field.

Outside of CSI, Kendra and her husband operate a farming business where she manages the bookkeeping for the farm. She also enjoys golfing and traveling whenever she gets the opportunity.

Her advice to students: give bookkeeping and accounting a try no matter what industry you are interested in because every business needs strong financial records.