FROM THE DIRECTOR'S CHAIR

Society Makes Advocacy, CPE and Networking Our Priorities

As we approach the closing of our fiscal year, I’d like to take this opportunity to highlight some of RISCPA’s accomplishments. At the core of everything we do are our members – we are a member-centric organization.

Consequently, our society has significantly strengthened its position in three key areas: advocacy, continued professional education and networking. All of these contribute to value-added benefits to members and to higher esteem for the CPA “brand.”

On the advocacy side, the RISCPA has earned a positive profile with key political leaders in Rhode Island. We maintain our productive relationship by offering our expertise in the spirit of public service. We review proposed and/or pending legislation that may have a financial impact, seeking to give apolitical clarity to the tough issues they face.

CPE is essential to the sustenance of a CPA license, and remains the lifeblood of our society. Over the past year, we’ve worked to emphasize both practical relevance and market trends affecting the delivery process. The CPE Committee, under the direction of Sharon Kennedy, has worked diligently to better align our course offerings with the demands of our member specialties. Additionally, the committee has peppered our program with some specialized locally-based instructors.

Operationally, RISCPA’s installation of AM-Net, a custom software program principally supporting our CPE program, will go into full throttle the beginning of May. When combined with the NASBA Tracker tool, it means we’ll be offering state-of-the-art capability to help our members better meet their educational goals.

Effective networking plays an important role in creating a pro- business development atmosphere for our members. RISCPA’s programs have achieved much success in recent years, drawing 500 CPAs, attorneys and financial professionals to our January event and over 300 to our September outing. Within the marketplace, our corporate-sponsored events are considered premier professional networking programs by all who regularly attend.

In closing, it’s important that you’re kept abreast of happenings at your society, and we who help steer RISCPA’s ship continually strive to be attentive to your needs. We also appreciate your recognizing that our accomplishments would not be possible were it not for the fine assistance provided by staffers, Denise Jacobson, Susan Breen and Ellen DeCataldo. Much credit is also due to RISCPA’s fine Board. As your Executive Director, it’s a privilege being able to serve on your behalf.

Bob Mancini