ASCPA Recognizes Members’ Contributions
ASCPA Recognizes Members’ Contributions
by Heidi Frei
Spreading the Word About What CPAs Really Do
Life Member — Peggy Ullmann
Peggy Ullmann’s enthusiasm for the CPA profession is evident the minute you meet her. “Her energy is infectious and motivates people to action within our profession,” Bruce Nordstrom said. “I remember when I first met her at a Society board meeting about 15 years ago. Her energy just exuded from her. She was with the publicity committee at that time and received the outstanding committee chairperson award that year and I said, ‘Wow, she is so impressive.’”
Ullmann enjoys what she does and loves to communicate that to others. “When people say that all we do is numbers, I say that is not all we do, our value is so much greater than that,” Ullmann said. The stereotype of accountants sitting in their offices adding up long columns of numbers is one that Ullmann strives to change.
Ullmann spreads her message in many ways. Her work with the Arizona CPA Foundation for Education and Innovation is one way. Ullmann served as president of this group in 2004-2005. The Foundation works to attract the students most likely to succeed in the accounting profession and encourages innovative teaching methods so students are prepared for the real world of accounting. Ullmann spoke at the High School Educators Symposium to help high school educators and counselors learn more about the accounting profession, and to communicate that accounting is a good career choice for their students.
Ullmann has been involved with the ASCPA in various roles serving on the board of directors, as chair of the board in 1998-1999, on various committees, and the AICPA Council. Ullmann has appreciated the opportunity to grow and learn through her experiences with the ASCPA. The people she has come into contact with have inspired her. “If I had not volunteered, there are many people that I would not have had the opportunity to learn from,” Ullmann said. “It is so interesting to see all of the different points of view and how everyone makes decisions differently. I am very intrigued by that. You always get back more than you give.”
Ullmann’s volunteerism is also on a national level. She served on the AICPA’s PCPS Executive Committee, and most recently Ullmann has been named to the AICPA Board of Directors, one of most influential national volunteer opportunities for CPAs. “I am really honored and excited to be asked to represent the profession,” Ullmann said.
Advocacy is another area that Ullmann has been active in. She is involved with the Key Person program and speaks with legislators to help them understand legislation that affects the accounting profession. Her daughter Danielle remembers one of these meetings, “One time I got to go to D.C. with her and we were snowed in, so I got to go with her to Senator McCain’s office.”
Ullmann’s excitement for the profession has made an impact on her daughter’s career choice. Her daughter Danielle is graduating this month with a degree in accounting and will begin her accounting career with a firm in New York. “Growing up and watching the success and opportunities my mom had has influenced my decision to go into accounting,” Danielle said. “Seeing her go from working at Ernst & Young to building her own firm, the people she got to meet, and the places she traveled to, all had an impact on my decision.”
CPA Opened Up Doors to Opportunity
Life Member — Ron Pittman
The CPA designation gives you endless career possibilities. After 25 years of traditional tax work, Ron Pittman moved into financial planning. His firm was receiving requests from clients asking if they could help with their financial planning and investment issues. When they received these requests, they would refer the client to a stock broker or investment company. Many of their clients were not getting expected results from these investment companies, so his firm decided to add financial planning to their practice. “Someone needed to do it, so I said I’ll do it,” Pittman said. “I kind of describe that decision as getting a new career sitting in the same chair.”
This is one of the many things that Pittman loves about being a CPA. “If you get your CPA certificate you can be an auditor, you can do tax work, financial planning, go into industry, government, you can be involved in so many different areas.” Pittman said.
Pittman feels that going into financial planning is one of the most rewarding things he has done. “Nobody’s telling them it’s something they have to have, but it is something people want and need and you can make a real difference in people’s lives,” Pittman said. “People love me for it. I get hugs. I didn’t used to get hugs when I handed out tax returns.”
There were many people that had an impact on Pittman’s career as a CPA. As a college student, Dr. William Huizingh was his advisor. “He provided a lot of encouragement to me as I was going through the program there,” Pittman said of Dr. Huizingh.
When he became a CPA, he was impressed with the leaders of the ASCPA. “When I first got into the profession, there were several CPAs who were very active that were owners of local firms and partners in national firms,” Pittman said. “There were people like Denny Mitchem and Sam Gallant, who were the leaders of the profession at that point. Denny, particularly, because he was ahead of me on the Society board of directors and he was so highly respected.”
Pittman earned that same respect from his peers. “I have known Ron for more than 20 years,” DonBays said. “In all the years that I’ve known him, I’ve found him to always be the same calm, unflappable person I knew when we first met. There are no CPAs who have a higher standard of personal and professional integrity than does Ron. He is one of the most ethical professionals I’ve ever known, and certainly one that other CPAs can emulate.”
Pittman has contributed so much of his time and expertise to the ASCPA. He served on the board of directors, as chair in 1984-1985. He served on the Foundation board, as president in 1998-1999. He also served on the AICPA Council. Pittman currently serves as a trustee for the ASCPA 401(k) plan.
Pittman encourages others to get involved with the ASCPA. “You get a lot more out of it than you put into it,” he said. “It just provides so much opportunity for personal growth, awareness of the profession, where it’s headed; which can have significant impact on career decisions. It’s being on the inside and knowing what’s going on before everyone else knows.”
Lawyer Intrigued by CPA Profession
Honorary Member —Bill Baker
It is not often that a non-CPA makes a huge impact on the CPA profession. Bill Baker has given so much to the CPA community, even though his chosen profession is practicing law. “Bill was ahead of his time,” according to Valerie Elliott, executive director of the State Board of Accountancy. “Today, public members of state boards of accountancy are just coming into positions of leadership on their boards, but Bill set the precedent beginning in 1998 when he was elected board secretary and ending with serving as board president for two years (2000-2002).”
Baker served nine years on the State Board of Accountancy and during that time was involved in many changes. One of the biggest accomplishments was re-writing the accountancy act. In that re-write, the Board was able to adopt much of the uniform accountancy act. Over his term the board also came up with a continuing education ethics requirement and mandatory peer review was established. “There were a lot of changes in the nine years,” Baker said. “It was amazing.”
Another area of focus was enforcement. The Board established a special enforcement group in the Attorney General’s office to handle major cases. “As a result of that, we were able to pay more attention to those cases,” Baker said. “Compared to when I started, you just took whoever you got from the Attorney General’s office and they may or may not have known anything.
Baker was appointed to the State Board by Governor Symington in 1995.“The first meeting I went to involved a settlement of a major case and being a baby, I didn’t know what was going on, but with my legal background, I could quiz the attorneys on both sides to get a good feel for it pretty rapidly,” said Baker.
Baker’s law background has been a great asset to the State Board. “When Bill Baker testified in front of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on auditor independence in the summer of 2000 he stated ‘My viewpoint is both as a regulator and as an attorney representing my clients who utilize the services of Certified Public Accountants to produce audited financial statements.’ And I think that perspective accounts for Bill’s high level of involvement with the profession,” Elliott said.
ASCPA members are very appreciative of everything Baker has accomplished for the profession. “I have the utmost admiration for him, the hours he contributed, and the sincerity in which he served them,” Larry Field said. “He took a lot of his own time to understand the issues. He made a tremendous impact on the Board and the profession and we are very fortunate to have him.”
Baker sees a bright future for the CPA profession. “As a result of Sarbanes-Oxley and some other statutory requirements, the need for CPAs is growing.”
Heidi Frei is director of marketing and membership for the ASCPA.
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