Holly Gomila Goughnour (’98)

Holly Goughnour graduated from CBU in 1998 with a BSBA and a Concentration in Accounting. Today, she has over 20 years of tax experience working with publicly traded, multinational companies and is a proven corporate tax leader with excellent talent and skills in the fields of international tax, tax planning, tax reporting, tax technology and compliance.

Holly leads a global team of tax professionals who have responsibility for the tax planning, reporting, and compliance at International Paper. Based on her demonstrated talent and skills, she transitioned from the Director of Tax Accounting at IP to Vice President in just seven years. Prior to IP, she served as a Tax Director at PricewaterhouseCoopers both in Memphis and in Stamford CT.   

Holly and her husband Mike co-founded a Memphis-based charity event, Grant’s Gala, in honor of their son who died suddenly at 17 days old as the result of a congenital heart defect. Along with a group of dedicated volunteers, they have raised more than $500,000 for congenital heart defect research in ten years. They also recently led a fundraising campaign to support LeBonheur’s Heart Institute in memory of their son. Holly also graciously volunteers her time to assist with the professional development of students at her alma mater.

For over seven years, she has served as a founding member of the Career Services Alumni Advisory Board, serving on career panels such as “Leading Ladies,” as well as conducting mock interviews and resume reviews. She even went the distance and conducted CBU’s first-ever virtual webinar on “Networking Effectively during COVID-19” for CBU students and alumni. She also currently serves on the Alumnae Advisory Board for the CBU chapter of Alpha Xi Delta and on the President’s Alumni Engagement Council at CBU.