SMALL STATE, BIG IMPACT

Rhode Islander Chairs AICPA Executive Committee

“Volunteerism can make you a better CPA,” says William Pirolli, a partner at DiSanto, Priest & Co., and current Chairman of the AICPA PCPS Executive Committee.

Leading by example, Pirolli’s goal is to show that local professionals can put their stamp on national issues by lending their time and unique individual perspectives for the greater prosperity of the overall profession. Further, he believes that participating in the AICPA can enhance an individual’s role in his or her own firm.

“Our mission on the PCPS Executive Committee is to help firms be more successful through education and advocacy,” Pirolli said. “We provide support through  web-based  solutions,  conferences, podcasts and webinars to provide education that relates to the actual management of firms and the regulatory realities that exist today.”

The PCPS Committee has been a prime place for Pirolli to exercise his experience as a contributor to big-picture concerns. He says he’s honored to serve as chairman of that committee, and considers it a career capstone after a number of other notable opportunities to make a difference within the profession.

Before taking up his current role, Pirolli also served on the AICPA Governing Council, the MAP Committee, the Small Firm Advocacy Committee, the Nominating Committee and the Group of 100 strategic planning committee. He is also a Past President of the RISCPA. “Giving back to the profession has always been very important to me,” Pirolli said.

The PCPS Executive Committee represents about 7,000 firms across the country, which translates to about 80,000 - 90,000 CPAs. In addition to firm management issues, the committee also provides support in the areas of human resources, succession planning and technology, as well as technical issues with its sister committee, the Technical Issues Committee (TIC).

For example, if a pronouncement comes out regarding upcoming technical changes, the TIC Committee responds to the exposure draft to make sure it doesn’t adversely affect a firm’s ability to practice, and that it isn’t overly onerous to small firms.

“When the new regulation is released, we give practitioners tool kits to work with in order to make implementation easier for their firms,” Pirolli said.

Pirolli says the benefits of serving on an AICPA committees go both ways: National society experience helps you contribute knowledge and insight to your local community, while a local perspective can bring a distinctive view to sorting through national issues.

“Because of our unique geography, Rhode Island is able to do some pretty neat things that other states can’t do,” Pirolli says. When he was on the Board, for example, the RISCPA was able to reach out to every single high school in the state and discuss accounting programs with students. CPAs from other state societies remark that such an initiative would be near to impossible in their much larger states.

Pirolli stresses that many resist serving on national committees because they don’t think they have anything to contribute. “We actively seek out small firm practitioners to be sure all voices are heard,” Pirolli said. “This year on PCPS we have a small firm practitioner from Fairbanks, Alaska, and she is making a big difference in terms of our perspective.”

People think that their little piece of the puzzle won’t make any difference, but it can,” he said. “You can’t get any more local than Ernie Almonte and me – we’re two local guys, and we’re helping to make a difference on a national level. I always walk away from committee work having gained way more than I give.”