PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE

An Incredible Honor and Terrific Year

To serve as President of the RISCPA for the past year has been an incredible honor. The year has flown by and I thank all of you for this unique opportunity.

Much has happened at the Society over the past year, not the least of which is the adoption of our new mission statement that provides the overarching guidance to the employees of the Society and the Board of Directors for making sound decisions to help the Society move forward and best utilize its resources. As the revised mission states, the Society “enhances the image of the CPA profession and the success of our members.”  In essence, there is nothing more important than the members we represent.

With that in mind, we at the RISCPA are proud to assist our members in their quest for continuing education and we thank all who participated in our 2011 CPE Program. We are also extremely grateful to those who responded to our CPE survey. Your feedback was vital to us and was used by our CPE committee, led by Sharon Kennedy, Denise Jacobson and Susan Breen, to schedule a broad array of 8 hour courses for the 2012 season to enhance the core competencies of our members in public accounting as well as private practice. Our partnership with the New York Society of CPAs, and our relationship with Surgent and Associates also allows members to access numerous webinars when convenient for them. In addition, we will be offering several shorter duration courses designed to provide specialized knowledge in tax, accounting and information technology over the next year. For those that don’t know, the calendar for the entire 2012 season is posted on our web page and at-a-glance calendars will be mailed shortly. 

As always, the Society’s advocacy activities continue with a particular focus on the Rhode Island State House. Currently, we are monitoring discussions on the 2012-2013 state budget in order to inform members about matters that may impact them and the constituencies they serve. Several of our members have met with Senators and Representatives to discuss pending legislation such as proposed mandatory three year audit rotation for municipalities, and the proposal to eliminate the state’s internal audit program.  We also encourage all members of the Society to remain informed about legislative activities and to voice their individual concerns by contacting their local Senator or Representative.

Most recently, our annual dinner meeting was held on April 25, 2012. The Red Carpet theme was a perfect complement to the celebration of past, present and future leaders of the Society. Many Past-Presidents of the Society were in attendance, including Ernie Almonte who received the Society’s Mission Award.  Ernie’s passion for the profession, demonstrated by his volunteerism at the state and national levels, resonated with the Nominating Committee and made him a clear choice for this honor. Jim Morrison, CFO of Teknor Apex and a member of the Society’s Board of Directors, received the President’s Award. Jim recently served as Treasurer for two years during which time the Society implemented a new software system.  He also developed several tools used by our management team to monitor our significant revenue sources and ensure that information from our new software was accurately reported in the Society’s financial statements. 

The event was also an indication that the future of our profession looks bright. I had the honor of welcoming 41 individuals to the profession by recognizing those who became CPAs in RI during the last year. I also had the pleasure of presenting the Gold and Silver Piccione Awards to Benjamin Silva (Gold) and Elimelech Berlin (Silver), who had the highest scores on the CPA exam. Recipients of the Carl W. Christiansen and Cheryl Ruggeiro Memorial Scholarships were also in attendance. It was a joy to see the pride on the faces of all the winners, and be a part of such a special moment in their professional career. To learn more about the scholarship recipients, click here.

Once again, I want to reiterate what an honor it has been to serve as President of the RI Society of CPAs. My deepest thanks goes to the members of the Board with whom I served. Their dedication and commitment to the Society was a true inspiration, and I know that I leave the Society in very good hands under Samuel K. Suls new leadership.

Martha Conn Hultzman