Are you one of those “well intended, but too busy” kind of people? I was.

Are you wondering why you would become an active member of our association? I wondered.

Perhaps no one has ever encouraged you to volunteer resources for the bene-fit of the Arizona Society of CPAs. Perhaps you did not hear them. They did and I began to listen.

For all of you who did get involved, I want you to know I now understand why you would volunteer and what you get out of the experience. I respect your self-motivation, commitment and actions. Most of all, I want to thank you. For the next year, I, along with our Board of Directors, hope to represent our interests in the exemplary manner our members have enjoyed and expect from their leaders.

I have prepared, and been prepared to lead by an extraordinary President & CEO, Cindie Hubiak, and our Society staff, who collectively, and in collaboration with many lay leaders, have provided information, insight and direction as needed.

My path to become Chair included annual leadership training; strategic planning; media training; board meetings; interaction with leaders in industry, education, not-for-profits, politics, government, the AICPA, other state executives and leaders, and most influentially, you, our members, my peers.

I am anxious to travel to our chapters throughout Arizona, to meet and cultivate an expanding circle of talent, leadership and membership.

My interests gravitated to the social and political issues our profession faces. They have expanded to the regulatory and staffing issues that have all of us overwhelmed. The hot buttons of our profession in this post-Enron environment: How to appropriately deal with the reporting and accountability transparency that the public, business and regulatory communities demand, and how to attractaccounting majors (now the number one major in universities) and keep them focused on attaining their CPA designation. I am enjoying the challenges and opportunities available to us. I am pushed to excel, to learn, to motivate others, and to take advantage of the opportunity to interact with others having similar experiences.

In a nutshell, I had been consistently surprised at how engaged I had become in our profession — but no more. Having spent more than 30 years focused on what was important to me in the accounting world, I now have anticipation of the next opportunity to learn more and help “connect the dots” for and with others. I also have built a great business network, made long-term friendships, earned respect of those I admire, and managed to have a lot of fun along the way. I learned a lot and I was challenged, I am very grateful for getting involved. That’s what’s in it for me.

What’s dynamic is that your path could — no must — be different. Are you a technical master, a techie, a planner, an educator, a speaker, writer, or facilitator? Do you have questions or concerns, or simply need help with technical or regulatory issues and want to chat? It is so easy to get connected and discover the many benefits of an active membership.

So act on your good intentions; wonder no more. Now is your chance to make a difference in yourself, your performance, and in your chosen profession. The names of our Board of Directors, leaders of the Arizona CPA Foundation for Education & Innovation, Chapter Presidents, Section leaders, and professional staff are published in the Resource Guide and on the Web to help facilitate your interests and issues. Give us a call.

Talk to you soon...

AZ CPA – May 2006