In December of 1994, Gigi Boudreaux drives through midtown Manhattan in a two-door hatchback with her three-month and 22-month-old sons in tow. En route to her company’s holiday party in downtown Manhattan with two car seats smushed in the back row, the screaming newborn wanting to be fed, and the toddler having thrown up all over himself and the car—it’s no wonder Gigi’s a bit stressed.
Being a working mom has always been a bit of a juggling game for her. Now, her children are grown-up and flying out of the nest. “I’m proud of being a good parent,” Gigi says. “I think I have great kids, objectively speaking. I have no regrets.”
Though there is no one quote that Gigi can pick as her favorite (there are just too many lyrics from country songs to pick only one), “No regrets” is a good contender.
Growing up in Morristown, NJ with a physicist for a father and a mathematician for a mother, Gigi’s whole life has always been surrounded by numbers. “Whenever I asked my dad for help with my science homework, he would give me a whole spiel on why the answer was correct, and I was just like, ‘Dad, is it A, B, C, or D?!’” But as she came to learn, not everything in life has a simple answer.
When Gigi graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 1986 with a bachelor’s degree in International Relations, she dreamed of serving in the Peace Corps. “I like seeing other cultures,” she says. “And I like working with and helping people.” Instead, she stayed stateside to continue her relationship with her college sweetheart and now husband of over 30 years. “I worked at Penn for two years while taking some accounting classes. And I did my colleagues’ tax returns because they didn’t want to, and I liked doing them.” Not long after, she received a full scholarship for a combined MBA and MS in Taxation at Fordham University.
Gigi landed a job at KPMG (then, Peat Marwick) in 1990 and had her first child only a year later (that’s right, the puker from earlier). After being convinced to return from maternity leave early with a promise of part-time work, she found herself working 70+ hour weeks in the middle of July—arguably the least busy month in accounting—managing a career in Manhattan and a 6-month-old out on Long Island.
“My favorite movie is Baby Boom. Should I say that? I know, it sounds silly. But it’s my favorite because when I first saw it, I related to the main character.” Much like Diane Keaton’s character in the movie, Gigi was burning the candle at both ends. Something had to give.
That’s when an opportunity on Long Island arose: a part-time job at Raich Ende Malter & Co. “That worked for me for a long time until I came here.”
Now, as a Partner at DSJ, Gigi is proud of the road she’s traveled and where it’s led her. “DSJ represents what REM was when I first started working there… This is my opportunity to start over without kids in tow and make my way. Maybe a little later than some, but I made choices along the way that I value.”
Gigi may not have had all the answers back then, back in ’94 when she arrived at the fancy company holiday party with a vomit-covered toddler in one arm and a hungry newborn in the other. But she was confident that she was on the right track to her own version of success.
Across the room that night, she watched another toddler throw a tantrum, the mother attempting to sedate the pristinely dressed child, and the father screaming at the top of his lungs, “What did I tell you?! I wanted these kids fresh, damn it! Fresh!” Gigi looks at her boys: smelly and covered in puke, but happy and enjoying the party. No regrets, she thinks to herself.
Get to know my favorite…
- Book: I can’t pick a favorite, but my favorite genre is historical fiction.
- Movie: Baby Boom (1987)
- TV Show: Thirtysomething
- Song: Too many to choose only one
- Singer: Female, Whitney Houston. Male, Brad Paisley.
- Music Genre: Country
- Color: Red
- Food: Chocolate
- Sports: I don’t care!
Sincerely,
Devin McQuillan
Associate, Creative Solutions
Contact:
516-541-6549 | Email