Peter and Kelley Rivera’s CPA love story began in 1984 when they met as college students working in CSUN’s Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Clinic, which provides free tax-preparation assistance to taxpayers with low incomes. They married in 1988 and lived for many years in Tarzana with their daughter, Morgan.
After graduating from CSUN’s accounting program in the David Nazarian College of Business and Economics in 1986, they launched successful careers in public accounting. Peter is currently the Chief Compliance Officer of Shamrock Capital Advisors. Kelley began her career at BDO USA before successfully launching her own firm, Kelley Rivera, CPA, where she worked with high-net-worth clients and specialized in estates and trusts. Kelley’s clients were like family to her, and Peter gave her the “Tax Diva” moniker as a tribute to her clients’ devotion to her.
Kelley passed suddenly in July 2023. To honor her memory, the Rivera Charitable Foundation created an endowment in the Department of Accounting in the CSUN David Nazarian College of Business and Economics to start the Kelley Rivera Tax Diva Scholarship.
The endowment will provide annual scholarships for accounting students participating in the CSUN VITA program in the college’s Bookstein Institute, supporting a program that provided the Riveras with a strong professional foundation as well as many fond memories.
“Kelley loved helping others as well as being a tax accountant,” Peter Rivera said. “We hope this scholarship will help students to add to their futures and passions.”
To contribute to the Kelley Rivera Tax Diva Scholarship Endowment or create a fund of your own, please contact the CSUN Office of Development at (818) 677-7586 or development@csun.edu.
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