LEAD STORY
Annual Dinner Meeting to Note Achievements, Past and Present
Approximately 200 attendees are expected at this year’s Annual Meeting, which will take place on April 27th at the Providence Marriot Hotel beginning at 5:30.
The event will honor scholarship recipients and other honorees, and feature a keynote speaker over a meal.But this year will also include the kickoff of a special new program dedicated to membership recognition.
“The Annual Meeting is always a time to reflect on the achievements of the past year as well as feature a speaker who can help empower attendees in the professional year ahead,” RISCPA President Jacquelyn Tracy said. “This year we will also take the time to give an extra nod to the integrity and honor of Society membership, but you have to come to the dinner to see exactly what I mean by that.”
The keynote speaker, Detroit-based Leadership Academy graduate Noel Abdur-Rahim, will talk about her experience participating in the inaugural Leadership Academy, one of the profession’s highlights from the past year. Launched by the AICPA’s Immediate Past Chairman and RISCPA member Ernie Almonte, the Academy selected 28 outstanding CPAs under the age of 35 to gather for three days of training, professional development and networking opportunities in Chicago last July.
“Noel is an exceptional CPA with strong technical skills who also exceeds expectations in her incredible ability to motivate others,” said Almonte, who recommended her to speak at the event. “She epitomizes the attributes that other CPAs might emulate on their paths to success. Having her at the annual meeting will expose our profession, especially our young CPAs, to the talents that are necessary to exercise leadership, now and into the future.”
Tracy said it made sense to invite a Leadership Academy participant as this year’s keynote speaker to acknowledge the success of the new program. Almonte’s glowing recommendation of Noel in particular compelled them to extend the invitation to her, Tracy said.
Abdur-Rahim is a Senior Associate in the Assurance practice at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP in Detroit. She currently serves as the President of the Detroit Chapter of the National Association of Black Accountants and is involved in a variety of other mentoring programs within the community.
“One of my goals with this dinner is to link the past to the present,” Tracy said. “We are hopeful for the future of our profession when we see young standouts like Noel, and it’s fitting that we use this opportunity to show how an investment in young CPAs is also an investment in the Society and profession as a whole.”
Scholarships, Awards Link Past and Present
Also working along the theme of linking past and present, the scholarships and awards will be handed out this year by former scholarship winners and the granddaughter of the man for whom the Nicholas Picchione Awards is named. The latter consists of a Gold Award, presented to the Rhode Island CPA candidate who achieves the highest average score on the CPA exam. A Silver Award will be presented to the individual with the second-highest average score.
The two scholarships, to be handed out by past winner Ashley DiBenedetto, now at DiSanto, Priest & Co., are named for CPAs Carl W. Christiansen and Cheryl A. Ruggiero. The former, established in 1974, assists students who hope to join the public accounting profession, by helping defray the cost of a college education. The latter, established in 2005, assists female students who hope to join the public accounting profession.
The Annual Meeting will also take the time to congratulate new CPAs and acknowledge Board members, past presidents and the 10 firms with 100% membership.
This year’s scholarship winners are as follows:
Carl W. Christiansen Award
- Eric Anderson, University of Rhode Island
- Stephanie Bernard, Bentley University
- Steven Boiteau, University of Rhode Island
- Edward Martin, Rhode Island College
- Krysta-Lyn Martinelli, University of Rhode Island
- Ashley Winsor, Assumption College
Cheryl A. Ruggiero Award
- Stephanie Bernard, Bentley University
- Maryam Sarlak, Rhode Island College
