Ansleigh Smith, CPP, is the American Payroll Association’s Region 8 Advisor. She serves as the liaison between APA and local chapters in Delaware, Indiana, New Jersey, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. Learn more about Ansleigh with our exclusive Q&A session!
Can you tell us a little about yourself?
I started my payroll career at Gold Kist, Inc. splitting my time between payroll and compensation before moving over to only payroll. I then moved to Primerica, where I worked for 20 years following a similar path. I worked in payroll and compensation, and then back to only payroll, moving up in my career to VP of Payroll. In November 2019, I made a move to join the Equifax team as Payroll Manager.
You may recognize me from the 2018 “The Spy Who Paid Me” Congress member game as Miss Calculations.
On a personal note, my husband and I have been together since 1995. We celebrated our 20th wedding anniversary in Hawaii last year. Right after we got home from our cruise, the country started shutting down due to the pandemic.
I am a Jimmy Buffett fan and enjoy reading and cruising with my husband in either our Corvettes or our 1968 Camaro. My husband and I are empty nesters now, so it is just us and our two Rottie (AKA rotten) fur babies at home now. I enjoy spending time with family and friends and look forward to when our kids and granddaughter come home to visit.
A couple surprising facts about me: I have three tattoos and a motorcycle license.
How long have you been involved with APA and local chapters?
Several years ago, Tommy Windsor, CPP, was assigned as my payroll tax support with a new vendor after a system implementation. As we worked together, he began to mentor and encourage me to pursue more knowledge in the payroll world. I joined APA in 2011. He kept encouraging me to get more involved, and in 2013 I joined the APA Atlanta Chapter.
Not long after I joined the local chapter, I participated in a study group session as I prepared to sit for my CPP exam. After I passed the exam, I saw how much the study group leaders, Ms. CJ Easterling, CPP and Lucy Ramondetta, CPP, cared about the students and how hard they worked to make sure we succeeded. I wanted to volunteer to give back for their help on my payroll certification journey.
While I was serving as secretary, I realized I had ideas that could help grow our chapter in new directions. The former President, Ms. CJ Easterling, CPP, encouraged me to run for President to grow in my leadership skills. Since then, I have served in other positions for the Atlanta Chapter as well, including Social Media Manager and Co-Webmaster.
On a national level, I serve on the APA’s Social Networking Committee, CHAMPS Committee, Hotline Referral Service, Shared Services Task Force, and the Strategic Payroll Leadership Task Force.
What advice would you like to give to the chapters in your region?
The best advice I could give is that leadership should not operate in a silo. Involve your chapter members in activities and encourage them to get to know each other. It is a good idea to poll your membership to see what they would like to see your chapter achieve, what type of meeting topics they are interested in, or what their hobbies might be. You might be able to use that information to find future leaders for your chapter.
Encourage your membership to give back by participating in volunteer activities in the community, teaching a Money Matters course, or helping with your payroll certification study group. Our chapters are only as good as our members, so we should foster a positive, inspiring environment that allows them to grow in both their payroll knowledge and personal skills and keeps them wanting to come back and join us again and again.
What APA resources would you recommend to the chapters in your region?
The APA’s Local Chapter Guide, social sites, and the Chapter Leaders Blog are all helpful resources that we should use throughout the year for guidance on how to handle our chapter operations, share news with our members, and learn about new activities that our members may enjoy or benefit from. If we are not learning and trying new things, then we are not growing our chapters.
Are you a proud chapter leader in Region 8? Introduce yourself to Ansleigh in the comments or send her an email.
Ansleigh Smith, CPP began her 2-year term as the Region 8 Advisor in May 2020.
