Deirdre Henry, B.S., 1978, retired in 2017 after an extensive and rewarding career in public accounting, and the financial services sector in banking and insurance. At the start of her career, she worked in public accounting at PricewaterhouseCoopers, where she specialized in the oil and gas sector. In addition, she was the CFO for two biotech start-ups in the areas of computational genomics and angio-regeneration, respectively. Her experience at Bank of America as a senior vice president and at CSAA Insurance Group as vice president and controller gave her deep knowledge in the areas of finance, audit, and corporate governance.

Today, as she did throughout her career, Deirdre expresses her gratitude for a highly successful career by giving back to the non-profit sector through her involvement with the UC Berkeley Bancroft Library’s Friends’ Council and the UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Branches, Inc. She also supports the Financial Women of San Francisco, in her role on the Scholarship Committee, helping to achieve its mission of advancing professionalism in women.

Deirdre is passionate about helping younger women achieve their career passions and she is a leader in promoting women’s advancement through multiple mentorships, as well as her involvement in women in leadership groups. Through this, she has taught many seminars including one built especially for women entitled “Finding Your Voice.” 

Deirdre majored in Business Administration at UC Berkeley and is a CPA (inactive). Deirdre credits the education she received and the opportunities she encountered while at UC Berkeley for many of her successes. She is delighted to be serving on the CAA Board to further enhance UC Berkeley’s reputation and provide similar opportunities to younger generations. When not volunteering her time, Deirdre enjoys cooking, hiking, and reading.