Chair's Message

Mark Landy, CPA

As I conclude my year of serving as the Society’s Chair, I am pleased with our accomplishments and successes. When I entered into this position a year ago, my expectations were high. As my year as Chair comes to a close, I can say with confidence that those expectations have been exceeded. I am, however, not surprised—the Society’s success is not a matter of luck. The Society’s success is due to its dedicated and talented membership, board and professional staff.

Thanks to the involvement and contributions of the hundreds of volunteers, the Board of Directors, AICPA council members, Chapter Presidents, Section Chairs, the Foundation for Education and Innovation Board, and our professional staff, the Society is presently successful and will continue to be successful into the future.

As I conclude my service as Chair I’d like to thank all of those who have made this year a success:

Executive Committee: Chair Elect – George Cohen, Secretary/Treasurer – Layne Simmons, Immediate Past Chair – Nancy Roach, and member – Pat Elder.

Board of Directors: Joyce Barden, James Busby, Jr., Mark Eberle, Rick Goldenson, Richard Skufza, Jim Buhr, Randy Roberts, Eric Sanchez, Bob Shanley, Carrie Pavano and Alan Yong.

The Executive Committee and Board of Directors worked countless hours to ensure the Society adhered to its mission.

AICPA Council: Larry Field, Rufus Glasper, Doug Haywood, Ken Husband. These individuals represented the Society at the AICPA Council meetings and made sure our voice was heard at the national level and helped locally.

Chapter Presidents: Northern Chapter – Godfrey Loper, North Central Chapter – Gregory Lane, Southern Chapter – Diane Groover and Southwest Chapter – Jayne Wright.Visiting each of these Chapters was one of the highlights of my past year. The hospitality that each Chapter extended to Cindie Hubiak and me was appreciated. These individuals are truly the glue that holds the membership together in the areas outside the Phoenix area.

Section Chairs: Accounting and Assurance – Chris Kindy, Business Valuation and Litigation Services – Kevin Yeanoplos, CPAs in Industry – Michael Linn, Financial Planning – Lynn Clark, Information Technology – Eric Hayes, Not–for-Profit – Tess Ridgeway and Taxation – John Nardi. These individuals did a fantastic job and displayed a true commitment to our profession.

Foundation for Education and Innovation Board: President – Bruce Nordstrom, Vice President – Amber Benson, Secretary/Treasurer – Mike Wagner, Trustees – Jeff Schatzberg, Bob Kilpatrick, Peggy Ullmann, Dan Swenson, Persy Munshi and David Riddiford. I was able to attend a number of Foundation Board meetings where I observed each Board member’s passion to attract and retain the highest quality individual for our profession.

Society Professional Staff: President and CEO – Cindie Hubiak, Director of Finance and Administration – Hayden Williams, Director of Marketing and Membership – Heidi Frei, Director of Professional Development – Jena Teff, Director of Member Services –José Herrera, CPE Manager – Mary Holt, Director of Communications – Joaquin Garcia, Director of Publications –Patty Gannon, and Administrative Assistant – Sarah Beasley and Michaelann Byron.

Cindie and her professional staff truly exceeded my expectations with their dedication, commitment and passion for the profession. The Society is most fortunate to have Cindie as our President and CEO. Cindie has assembled a professional staff that is tireless in its support of our members and the profession.

I would also like to thank Michael Lemme and Ed Zollars for their continued assistance with the Society’s legislative efforts. Michael, Ed and others have contributed significantly in this area.

During my year as chair, I have sought the advice and counsel of a number of past chairs including Kate Forbes, Linda Blessing, Gary Gethmann, Allen Nahrwold, Jim Beaton, Bruce Nordstrom, Peggy Ullmann, Rufus Glasper, Larry Field, Ken Husband, Doug Haywood and Nancy Roach. I would like to thank each of these special people for the time and advice they shared with me and for their continued commitment and passion to the Society and the profession.

I would also like to thank everybody at my firm, Miller, Allen & Co., P.C., for their support and understanding. A special thanks goes to Steve Harris, Tom Friend, Mark Wagner and Dave Stretmater.

Finally, I would like to thank you, the members, for allowing me the honor and the privilege to serve as the Arizona Society of Certified Public Accountants’ chair. The past year has been an exceptional year for me and I leave knowing that the future of our Society and profession is a bright one. I wish George Cohen, next year’s chair, much success and hope his experience will be as satisfying and fulfilling as my experience has been.

AZ CPA – March/April 2006