Retired Director of Professional Standards, Deloitte & Touche
Spirit of UDM: Alumni Achievement Award
2016
Bio:
Phyllis E. Peters Look ’51 has had a most distinguished career. After graduating magna cum laude in Accounting, she became a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) with the accounting firm of Deloitte & Touche, rising to the level of director in an era when men dominated the profession.
As a principal partner for Deloitte, she helped forge a strong working relationship between the University and the firm, which continues to this day. Look experienced a number of firsts in her exceptional career. Most significantly, she was the first woman to serve on the Board of Directors of the Detroit Branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, and the first woman President of the Michigan Association of CPAs. Additionally, she held a position of national prominence as the President of the American Association of Women Accountants.
Long a champion of higher education, Look has maintained close ties with the College of Business Administration, sharing her expertise with the College and its students. Since 2006, she has been a member of the College’s Board of Advisors and has volunteered as an industry mentor to accounting students. She has similarly volunteered with the University’s Career Education Center, helping young job seekers to hone their interviewing skills. She is also a generous benefactor of the College: Each year, the Phyllis E. Peters Look Scholarship provides funding to qualified students seeking to complete UDM’s world-class accounting education.
Her generosity of time and talent also extends beyond UDM. Among other activities, Look has served as a trustee of Siena Heights University and Walsh College, and is the immediate past chair of the Board of Trustees at the Manresa Jesuit Retreat House in Bloomfield Hills.
In 2008, Look was among the inaugural class of leaders inducted into the College of Business Administration’s Hall of Honor. In 2010, she was recognized at the Association of Fundraising Professionals Dinner for her many volunteer efforts.
Citation:
A pioneer for women in male-dominated fields, Phyllis E. Peters Look is also a mentor and leader who is generous with her time and expertise.
She graduated magna cum laude in Accounting and became a CPA with Deloitte & Touche, retiring as Director of Professional Standards. Understanding the importance of the partnership between business and education, she developed a strong relationship between the accounting firm and the University, which continues today.
Among many firsts in her career, she was the first woman to serve on the Board of Directors of the Detroit Branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago and was the first woman president of the Michigan Association of CPAs. She also held a prominent national position as the president of the American Association of Women Accountants.
She is a tireless volunteer in the industry, serving as a mentor in her field and with the University’s Career Education Center, helping young job seekers hone their interviewing skills. Her dedication continues with a decade of service on the College of Business Administration’s Board of Advisors and through her generous funding of a scholarship for accounting students.
Distinguished graduate of the College of Business Administration, Phyllis E. Peters Look was honored with the Spirit of UDM: Alumni Achievement Award on April 24, 2016.