There is a whole new kind of life ahead, full of experiences just waiting to happen. Some call it “retirement.” I call it bliss.
With that thought in mind, with mixed emotions we announce that Leigh McKee, Director of Tax Services, is retiring at the end of this month. Leigh has been with the firm for more than 23 years and has made an incredible impact during her time here.
Leigh has worked with clients in a wide variety of industries, including nonprofit, higher education, healthcare, natural resources, and equine. She also covers the estate/gift and succession planning, fiduciary income tax planning, and international planning areas.
Leigh earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Foreign Services from Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. She earned her Master of Arts in International Commerce and Post-Baccalaureate Work in Accounting from the University of Kentucky. She is actively involved in the community and currently serves on the Bluegrass Community Foundation’s Finance Committee.
Leigh has many great memories of Dean Dorton, but her favorite is actually a series of memories before she was even hired:
https://deandorton.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Leigh-McKee-with-nieces-at-family-outing.jpg
Leigh with her nieces at a family outing
In the interview process, I met with Doug Dean, who asked me about my strengths—and I listed a few—and my weakness, which I went on and on about. He said, “You know, you’re not supposed to list too many of those.” Then Richard Dorton: His final question in the interview was, “Do you think you’re a nice person?” I replied that I thought I was and he said, “Good; mean people don’t last here.” And of course, none of this would have been possible if Paula Hanson hadn’t taken a chance on a very nontraditional hire such as myself. Her belief was that it takes all kinds of people to make a good team and that I would add value to the Dean Dorton team. All of this gave me a glimpse of the kind of firm we are and a place to call my professional home for over 20 years.
The first thing Leigh will do upon retiring is taking a road trip through Florida in her 10-year-old red convertible. “My convertible has just 15,000 miles on it,” said Leigh, “She deserves to get out and see some new things, and so do I.”
We all extend our best wishes as Leigh takes an extended and much-deserved vacation packed with exciting adventures through Florida.
Happy retirement, Leigh!